Extraordinary Toon

Toon Bodyslam has become a national hero and is well on the way to raising more than a billion baht for hospitals and health care in Thailand, well over the 700 million baht that was his original target.

But in retrospect, what a pity that he had to do it on his own with very little government support, other than a photo op-with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha when he arrived in Bangkok (which did more for the prime minister than it did for Toon).

His run took him in an almost direct line from the deep South of Thailand to the far North, bypassing huge areas of Thailand where the contributions would have doubled or tripled — even quadrupled — four billion baht is not out of the question.

If there were coordinated runs with other stars running parts of the distance from Trat, in the far southeast of Thailand up though Chanthaburi, Rayong and Chon Buri, and another circling through the provinces of Isan, I am sure people would have lined the streets the same as we have seen on television when Toon passed through on the other side of Thailand.

To add weight and Toon’s imprimatur to these supporting runs, the Royal Thai Air Force could have laid on a helicopter to whisk Toon into the major cities as the run passed through, before flying him back to his main run northwards. It would at least have given the RTAF a meaningful mission. But that is now a missed opportunity.

All of that aside, we must all stand in total and absolute awe at the courage, commitment and stamina of this extraordinary Thai man. Would that were more like him.

DAVID BROWN

Rayong