Amid the honking cars, buzzing motorbikes and belching trucks that traverse Pattaya’s two railroad-access roads, a 52-year-old local resident stands alone, trying to ease the chaos.
Manit Bantherng is not a traffic cop. He’s simply a man trying to bring peace to others. For six years, he’s directed traffic on Soi Nernplabwan during the morning school hours and afternoon rush, not collecting a single baht until a local market showed its appreciation and began paying him a stipend.
Volunteer Manit Bantherng directs traffic during peak hours in Soi Nernplabwan.
“How much one can do for society depends on one’s conscience,” Manit said. “If actions are taken for society, they should be done with a pure heart, without any expectation of compensation,” he said.
Exercising his big heart, however, is exhausting, he said. The constant fatigue, though, is bearable since he’s helping neighbors, Manit said. He simply wants to serve.
