A Vietnamese man who tried to row 2,000 kilometers from Thailand to India to meet his wife was arrested off the Thai coast on Thursday (March 24th).
According to The Star, a senior navy officer said the man, known as Ho Hoang Hung set off from Phuket, Thailand in an inflatable rubber dinghy with water and instant noodles, but with no navigation equipment.
Photo via Indian Express
A fishing boat discovered the man near the Similan Islands, which is 80km off the Thai mainland, and alerted the navy’s maritime security force, which later came to rescue the man.
Captain Pichet Songtan of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre said Ho informed officials that he was trying to see his wife, who works in Mumbai after they had been separated for two years due to COVID travel restrictions.
Pichet said the man was found on the boat without a map, compass, GPS, or a change of clothes, as well as a very limited supply of water.
Photo via India Times
The man had flown to Bangkok but discovered that he couldn’t continue his flight to India without a visa, so he took a bus to Phuket where he bought the dinghy. He added that Ho will be sent back to Phuket for further questioning by the Thai officials.
“We’ve contacted the Vietnamese and Indian embassies, but have yet to receive a response,” Pichet said.
That was dangerous! But we’re glad that Ho is okay and safe, back on dry land!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
