Mr Sarawut handed in the money to the Mayor of Chalong, Samran Jindapon.
He explained to media this morning (February 1) how he ended up with the bag full of cash.
“I was driving the van, carrying Indonesian tourists from Phuket City to Phuket International Airport last night (January 31). They had lots of baggage,” he said.
He explained how he drove back home after he dropped them off, then started to clean the inside of his van.
“I found a bag with “King Power” on it, and there was money inside. Inside, there was Thai baht totalling B120,000, US$400 in cash, and two banking books from the Bankg o Ayudhya and Siam Commercial Bank.”
Not knowing what to do, he called his local mayor, Mr Samran, explaining that he would like the money to be returned to the owner, and could he help.
Today Mr Samran will transfer the money back to the owner, who was found by details included in the banking books. He is an Indonesian official who was on holiday in Phuket when he left his bag behind.
Mr Samran said, “Mr Sarawut is a good man, because he returned the money. The owner would like to thank him by giving him B3,000, but Mr Sarawut accepted only B2,000.
“He said, ‘This is enough for me’.”