A 13-year-old school boy from Chonburi province set off on a journey of over 100 kilometres by bicycle, hoping to visit his grandparents in Ubon Ratchathani. Fortunately, caring strangers found him at a gas station in Chachoengsao province before he could continue further.
Three residents spotted the boy, dressed in a school uniform and looking tired and unkempt, at the PTT Hua Samrong Gateway gas station on Road 331 in Plaeng Yao district. This happened on February 12, during a Thai religious holiday.
A journalist from the Thairath who was also present joined the group in speaking to the boy.
The boy, who introduced himself as Pond, explained that he had left his home in Laem Chabang, Chonburi, without informing his mother. His goal was to reach his grandparents’ house in Ban Phon Sawan, Na Chaluai district, Ubon Ratchathani.
Pond had been pedalling since 5 a.m., covering more than 100 kilometres before being stopped. The total distance to his grandparents’ home was around 620 kilometres.
He shared that the decision wasn’t due to problems at home or school. Instead, he missed his grandparents, who had raised him since he was a child. Having recently moved in with his mother in Laem Chabang only five months earlier, he felt a strong longing to reunite with the grandparents he deeply cared about.
On his journey, a motorcyclist accidentally hit Pond’s bicycle. While he wasn’t hurt, his uniform got dirty. The motorcyclist gave him 100 baht, and Pond used 40 baht to buy food, leaving him with 60 baht. In his backpack, he carried a hammock, school supplies, a ping-pong paddle, and a flute.
One of the kind strangers, Mr. Somkiat Tanwutto, reached out to the Plaeng Yao police to help track down the boy’s family. While waiting for assistance, other locals donated money to Pond, giving amounts between 300 and 500 baht, which eventually totalled over 2,000 baht.
The police then took Pond to the station to await his guardians.
Since Pond didn’t have contact information for his mother or grandparents, Police Colonel Preecha Nisaisom, the local station superintendent, managed to get in touch with Pond’s father, Mr. Kat, who is 45 years old. His father arrived at the station and hugged his son before discussing the situation.
Pond told his father he wanted to move back in with his grandparents in Ubon Ratchathani. His father, understanding his son’s feelings and knowing the quality of education in Ubon, agreed. However, he asked Pond to finish the current school term first, as exams were coming up.
After a discussion mediated by the police, Pond promised not to leave home without permission again and agreed to focus on his studies for the remaining month of the term.
Once his exams were over, plans were made for him to move to Ubon Ratchathani to live with his grandparents and continue his schooling there. When asked about his aspirations, Pond shared his dream of becoming a social justice lawyer.
With everything resolved, Pond’s father took him back to their home in Laem Chabang.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
