Pattaya, Thailand – What started as a routine day on Oct 3 at the flea market behind Lotus Express in Nong Khern village in Chonburi, turned into an extraordinary tale of honesty and community spirit. The actions of a six-year-old boy named Thanapat, affectionately known as Chiw-Chiw, captured the attention and admiration of his community.
On Sept 29, merchants Pattarapon, 32, and Marti, 42, were going about their business, selling sausages and juice drinks. Little did they know that their lives were about to take an unexpected turn when they discovered that 9,200 Baht, intended for a car payment due on October 5, had gone missing from their apron.
Enter Chiw-Chiw, a first-grade student at Watthanadarunwit School. While playing near his family’s car at the flea market, he spotted several banknotes on the ground. Displaying remarkable honesty, Chiw-Chiw immediately alerted his parents, who wasted no time in reporting the discovery to the local police.
The head of the Ban Bueng subdistrict police station, Pol. Maj. Capt. Anothai Rodma, arrived at the scene and, after a meticulous investigation, confirmed that the recovered money and a lighter belonged to Pattarapon and Marti who had reported the loss earlier. A meeting between the two families was arranged where the cash and lighter were promptly returned to the grateful couple.
