Bangkok Taxi driver returns Bt140m

Taxi driver returns Bt140m in cheques

A Bangkok taxi driver yesterday returned three cashier's cheques worth a combined Bt140 million that three Japanese passengers had left behind in his cab, saying he never wanted to take a "short cut" to riches.

Suthep Kasak, 41, drove businessmen Yee Deng, Ho Mick Kindshita and Aki Okuda from the Emerald Hotel in the Ratchada area to Soi Thaniya on Surawongse Road on Thursday, but they forgot a file containing the cheques when they got out of his taxi.

The three men reported the loss at Bang Rak police station and asked the Sor Wor Por 91 radio station to locate the taxi. Suthep called the radio station shortly afterwards and said he would return the file and cheques to the passengers at the radio station at 11am yesterday.

The file's owner, Kindshita, thanked Suthep for his honesty and rewarded him with Bt3,000 in cash before the group went on to Suvarnabhumi Airport to catch a flight back to Japan.

Suthep said he was excited to have something as valuable as the cheques in his hands, although it was later explained to him that only the named beneficiaries could have cashed them.

"I usually send whatever my passengers leave behind to the Sor Wor Por 91 radio station ... because I know the owners would be in trouble," he said, adding that he was proud of his action.

Despite his financial situation - renting the vehicle for Bt16,000 a month and having a wife and three children upcountry to support - Suthep said he never wanted to take a short cut to become rich or neglect his duty to return what passengers leave behind.

He urged other taxi drivers to do good deeds, and avoid temptation and greed.

The Nation

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The cheques were worthless to anyone besides the payee. What's the big deal? You think he would have returned 140m baht in cash?

Taxi driver returns Bt140m in cheques

A Bangkok taxi driver yesterday returned three cashier's cheques worth a combined Bt140 million that three Japanese passengers had left behind in his cab, saying he never wanted to take a "short cut" to riches.

Suthep Kasak, 41, drove businessmen Yee Deng, Ho Mick Kindshita and Aki Okuda from the Emerald Hotel in the Ratchada area to Soi Thaniya on Surawongse Road on Thursday, but they forgot a file containing the cheques when they got out of his taxi.

The three men reported the loss at Bang Rak police station and asked the Sor Wor Por 91 radio station to locate the taxi. Suthep called the radio station shortly afterwards and said he would return the file and cheques to the passengers at the radio station at 11am yesterday.

The file's owner, Kindshita, thanked Suthep for his honesty and rewarded him with Bt3,000 in cash before the group went on to Suvarnabhumi Airport to catch a flight back to Japan.

Suthep said he was excited to have something as valuable as the cheques in his hands, although it was later explained to him that only the named beneficiaries could have cashed them.

"I usually send whatever my passengers leave behind to the Sor Wor Por 91 radio station ... because I know the owners would be in trouble," he said, adding that he was proud of his action.

Despite his financial situation - renting the vehicle for Bt16,000 a month and having a wife and three children upcountry to support - Suthep said he never wanted to take a short cut to become rich or neglect his duty to return what passengers leave behind.

He urged other taxi drivers to do good deeds, and avoid temptation and greed.

The Nation

I can follow the excitement of the cab driver.

Most of people in Thailand are very honest.

I am notoriously loosing things in taxis, mostly mobile phones, and except of one they all found there way back to me. The only one went and never returned was switched off and secured with PIN and probably has had an empty battery. I couldn’t contact the taxi driver.

These experiences I can share with several friends of mine. They all got there belongings back after a short while. And I am crawling up and down Thailand and love to use public transport.

[Jetsam]

These experiences I can share with several friends of mine. They all got there belongings back after a short while. And I am crawling up and down Thailand and love to use public transport.

I love public transport in Thailand too, ok I have to come out of the closet about this now I'm afraid , but it's the #1 reason I love to travel to Thailand because you are allowed to lose all your belongings and you are guaranteed to get it all back, that is what make me horny , call me a public sex transport tourist if you like, but I love it. Only Thailand.

Being in the same business myself I've returned any number of goods back to their original owner. Mobiles, umbrellas, wallets, credit cards etc. Only ever had one person accuse me of keeping their mobile but all I can say is that either he lost it elsewhere or one or my subsequent customers picked it up, neither of which would surprise me.
Having said that, I've never been in the position of having a "life changing" amount of money left in my car to muse over.
Certainly had those Japs left that amount in cash then the driver would have a big decision to make.
Maybe the question should be, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
How much is just too tempting to resist I wonder. Baht 140m is equivalent to about ┬г2m.......hmm....nope, I'm offski with that.

The cheques were worthless to anyone besides the payee. What's the big deal? You think he would have returned 140m baht in cash?

BG,

I agree with your point, but give the man his 15 minutes of fame, He'll have photos around the office of the Japanese and will conveniently forget to mention that there were A/C Payee only!

His business wil increase tenfold, as he will have the cab painted up to reflect his good deed,[ not the usual " I love farang", but "I am honest and return money to Foreigners" ] and will "dine out" on this for years as he makes the story bigger!

GOOD ON HIM!! Entrepreneur of the Year 2007

PS You will all promise to tell me if you think I am becoming cynical???

kquill's possible cynicism aside <g>, perhaps the newsworthy part of the article was that the three passengers were so incompetent as to let something so valuable out of their hot little hands. Can you imagine the problems for those three men if, for whatever reason, the checks ended up in the trash?

The article mentions "three Japanese passengers," but "Yee Deng" doesn't sound vely Japanese to me.

Can you imagine the problems for those three men if, for whatever reason, the checks ended up in the trash?

They were just cheques! If they'd become lost, they would simply have cancelled and reissued them. Again, what's the big deal?

[dont101-old]

You are right B.G. whats the big deal.

You loose your wallet, passport..... just cancel your credit cards, no problem.
Go to the embassy get a new passport, go back to your home country, get a new drivers license issued. etc.

Why do you always need to shoot down anyone that does something good.
Must be fun living in such a negative world.

You are right B.G. whats the big deal.

You loose your wallet, passport..... just cancel your credit cards, no problem.
Go to the embassy get a new passport, go back to your home country, get a new drivers license issued. etc.

Why do you always need to shoot down anyone that does something good.
Must be fun living in such a negative world.

"Always"? You've only been here since May 29...what the fuck do you know about my world?