At ease and well done, Private

That unknown hero in uniform we’ve seen in a widely circulated flood video turns out to be Private Taweesak Takam. 

We watch him, wading in water in Pathum Thani, repeatedly turn down payment offered by a woman in a boat who was grateful for his assistance. She actually leaves the money behind as she climbs out of the boat, but he slips it back into her tote bag. 

The Channel 3 show “Tee Sip” rounded up some of the unsung heroes of the crisis and learned that Taweesak had been part of a team moving hospital patients. The producers tracked down the woman too – hairdresser Pattanan Bunnak. 

“I never saw the video until a niece told me thousands of people were watching it on YouTube,” she said by phone on the show. 

“I’m still really impressed with him. He pushed the boat when the engine broke down. The waistdeep water was filthy and smelled so bad.

“I really wanted to give him the money. It wasn’t much but I wanted to thank him. He told me, ‘I’m one of the people’s soldiers and I can’t accept it.’”

Pattanan found the money in her bag later and was crushed. So she and her friends bought a crate of energy drinks and gave them to every soldier they could find. 

“They work so hard and they should receive something for their dedication. We shouldn’t give them a promotion after they die – they deserve it when they’re alive.”

 

Action stars

Blame the floods for stalling Sahamongkol’s 3D movie “Tom Yum Goong 2”, but at least they freed up actors Thatchakorn “Tony Jaa” Yeerum and Jeeja Yanin and director Prachya Pinkaew to help out in the crisis.

They join studio executives to visit people in all the afflicted areas with goodies including popcorn and cotton candy. 

Jaa and Jeeja do a little singing and dancing. No need to demonstrate any martial arts because the refugees are also treated to a screening of “Tom Yum Goong”.