BANGKOK – The team from “Sai Mai Must Survive,” a volunteer group coordinating assistance for people in need, found Mr. Lamine, a 24-year-old British sports photographer who had forgotten his bag in a taxi. They helped him retrieve his belongings.
The photographer reported that he took a taxi from a hotel in the Bang Khen neighbourhood to Don Mueang Airport on Sunday evening to cover a Muay Thai competition in Phuket. However, he had entered the incorrect pin location, and the taxi driver took him to the “Naem Don Mueang” restaurant instead of “Sanambin Don Mueang,” which means Don Mueang Airport.
As he got out of the taxi, looking confused while searching for the airport, the taxi drove away with his bag still inside, containing two sets of DSLR cameras and lenses, a notebook, other valuable items, and his passport.
The Sai Mai Must Survive team coordinated with police officers at Sai Mai and Don Mueang police stations to urgently track down the taxi. They finally contacted the taxi driver, and upon hearing the news, Mr. Lamine burst into tears of joy and relief.
At 10:30 p.m., Mr. Surasak Putchoe, the 42-year-old taxi driver, returned the belongings to the British photographer. He explained that when he picked up Mr. Lamine, the photographer had put his suitcase in the trunk, but the driver didn’t notice the other bag placed behind the rear seat.
When they arrived at the destination, the driver opened the trunk and handed over the suitcase to the passenger without noticing the other bag. It wasn’t until he stopped to walk around an event under the Rama 7 Bridge that the Sai Mai Must Survive team contacted him, and he promptly returned the bag.
Mr. Lamine expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped him.
“At that time, I was worried and thinking about various things. If this bag was lost, how would I continue living? Because this bag is my life, it’s my profession. And after learning that everyone had helped search for my belongings until they were found, I felt grateful to everyone. Because I alone wouldn’t have known how to find them. Thank you to the Sai Mai Must Survive team, thank you to the Don Mueang police, and thank you to the taxi driver for returning my property.”
Afterwards, the Sai Mai Must Survive team took him to Don Mueang Airport to catch a flight to Phuket at 7:00 a.m. on May 6.
