Happy ending: one unfortunate berry-picker gets a helping hand

Boonmee Seubsiri

print this

By Sami Sillanpää
     
      A couple of weeks ago, the Sunday section of Helsingin Sanomat carried a lengthy article about the return home of Thai berry-pickers who had spent the summer months in the wilds of Lapland.
      It was also translated into English and featured here.
      Most of those who made the trip to Finland returned to their village in North-Eastern Thailand with a profit after their expenses were met, and some earned an entire year's income in a couple of months battling the mosquitoes in the woods.
     
However, Boonmee Seubsiri and his wife, also named Boonmee Seubsiri, were a good deal less fortunate.
      They were both injured in a car accident.
      Their work as pickers suffered, and their income from the trip remained only modest.
     
Like others, the family had taken out a loan in Thailand to cover the costs of the trip. The couple ended up with debts of 80,000 baht, or roughly EUR 1,600.
      This amounted to roughly the family's annual income.
      "Right now I have no idea how we can come up with that sort of money", said Mrs. Boonmee at her home.
     
Several of the newspaper's readers called and said they would like to give the couple some money.
      The donations had reached EUR 1,400 by the end of last week.
      "I am very very happy about this", Mrs. Boonmee commented from Thailand.
      "Thank you so very much."
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 25.10.2009


Previously in HS International Edition:
  A long way for bilberries (13.10.2009)

SAMI SILLANPÄÄ / Helsingin Sanomat
sami.sillanpaa@hs.fi