Mother reported son missing from Pattaya, fearing scam gang abduction
KANCHANABURI — A 19-year-old British national reported missing from Pattaya has been found alive after spending two weeks lost in jungle near the Thai-Myanmar border, surviving by eating ants and tree bark.
Lawrence was discovered on October 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Tham Kaew Sawan Bundan Temple in Moo 9, Phra Chedi Sam Ong village, Nong Lu subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri district. Local residents and the One Sky Foundation, a Thai organization supporting vulnerable children and families along the border, coordinated his rescue with military authorities.
Extensive Search Operation
The search began on September 27 when Thai-Myanmar border security forces received notification from Sangkhla Buri Police Station. His mother, Kulnara, had filed a missing person report at Pattaya City Police Station after her son disappeared on September 26, expressing fears he may have been lured to Myanmar by scammers.
Military personnel from the Lad Ya Task Force conducted extensive searches, posting missing person flyers at the Khiri Nakhorn checkpoint and other border crossings while coordinating with neighboring countries, including Myanmar military liaison units, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
On October 2, then-Kanchanaburi Governor Athisan Intara escalated the search efforts, ordering local officials, Sangkhla Buri police, and immigration officers to review CCTV footage from roads, hotels, and resorts throughout the district—both in town and along the border at Ban Phra Chedi Sam Ong in Nong Lu subdistrict—after witnesses reported seeing someone matching Lawrence’s description in Tha Makham subdistrict.
The coordinated effort finally yielded results when local residents located the missing British man and alerted authorities. Following his rescue, the Lad Ya Task Force worked with Kanchanaburi Immigration officers and Sangkhla Buri Police to take custody of Lawrence. He was brought to the One Sky Foundation for recovery while police conducted interviews.
Journey to the Border
Lawrence told investigators he traveled from Bangkok by private vehicle to Sangkhla Buri on September 27, intending to continue to Payathonzu, Karen State, on the Thai-Myanmar border after researching the area online.
Upon arriving at the Phra Chedi Sam Ong checkpoint, immigration officials informed him the crossing remained closed to travelers and escorted him to the van terminal at Phra Chedi Sam Ong village to arrange transport back to Bangkok. Unwilling to return to the capital, he decided to explore the natural surroundings on his own.
While walking along a roadside in the Moo 9 Phra Chedi Sam Ong area, he encountered three unidentified men who believed he was searching for accommodation. They took him to Century Hot Spring Resort, but he lacked sufficient funds to rent a room. After leaving the resort, he walked alone deeper into what turned out to be a rubber plantation.
Survival in the Wilderness
“It was already dark, so I got lost and couldn’t find my way out for 14 days. During that time, I survived by eating ants and tree bark,” Lawrence explained. He recounted how he wandered through the dense plantation forest, unable to find his way back to civilization for two weeks while subsisting on whatever he could forage.
On October 11, local residents finally found him and brought him to Tham Kaew Sawan Bundan Temple, where he rested and ate proper food before receiving further assistance from authorities.
His mother, Kulnara, gave a brief statement expressing immense relief that her son had been found and saying she would reunite with him as soon as possible.
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