The story of a Russian tourist and kind-hearted Thai police and van driver

A Russian female tourist who ran out of money while visiting Koh Chang off Trat province was helped out by police and a public van driver who arranged for an accommodation for her and a free ride back to Bangkok.

The 24-year old tourist, identified only as Ms Irena, was spotted by villagers walking alone with just a shoulder bag on a road from a ferry pier in Laem Ngob district. Fearing that she might land into trouble, the police were alerted.

Pol Lt Mana Petpong, deputy inspector of Khao Saming police station, then rushed to the scene and found Irena walking alone. She told the police that she went to Koh Chang with four other friends but all of them had returned to Bangkok but she continued to stay on in the island until she ran out of money.

The tourist told the police that she had no money to pay for the bus fare back to Bangkok but declined to accept help from the police. She also said she intended to walk back.

Pol Lt Mana then alerted the tourist police to arrange for a Russian-speaking interpreter to persuade her to accept help from the police. She finally agreed and was accommodated for a night at a hotel in Khao Saming district.

Ms Irena managed to get hold of her friends in Bangkok and the next morning she was offered a free ride by a public van driver plus 500 baht donation from the Khao Saming district police.

This happy-ending incident of a foreign tourist took place last week but it went unreported until yesterday (Thursday).

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