PATTAYA, Thailand – 19-year old Lawrence Honour, who was missing near the Thai-Myanmar border for two weeks, is back with his parents at their Chonburi (near Pattaya) home. A lone traveller, he went missing after being photographed leaving a Kanchanaburi hotel on September 27.
Thai border police said Lawrence had tried to cross into Mynamar via the Three Pagodas border pass but found it closed. In fact, the immigration crossing is banned to all foreign tourists, except Thais on a day trip, as it lies in a disputed part of the border. The Myanmar junta’s policy restricts foreign tourists to entry by air.
Lawrence then got lost in the adjacent jungle before turning up at a Thai border temple famous for its underground caves. He had survived by eating insects and tree bark. He was rescued by a local children’s welfare charity One Sky Foundation and subsequently handed over to his relieved parents.
Lawrence never succeeded in entering Myanmar, but apparently told One Sky Foundation that enjoyed adventure travel using his own initiative. Rumors on social media that he had been abducted and forced into scam businesses in Myanmar proved to be very wide of the mark. Lawrence had originally been filed as a missing person at Pattaya police station which has now removed his name from the crisis list.
