Belated reward for a four-legged hero
By Nasuerah Jehha
The ceremony to present compensation to victims of violence in the far South which was held on July 14 at the Pattani provincial hall would have been a routine event had it not been the fact that one of the victims had four legs.
The victim, a Thai-blooded dog by the name of Chao Toom from Saiburi district, became the star attraction of the compensation presentation event presided over by Pattani deputy governor Lertkiat Wongpophan. Altogether nine victims, including Chao Toom and Mrs Bulun Yongpiriyakul, owner of a drugstore in Muang district which sustained heavy damages from a car bomb on April 21, were given the compensation money totaling 3.8 million baht.
Chao Toom was chosen to be awarded the compensation because of its heroic performance in trying to help Mrs Pranee Panvipark, a teacher of Saiburi Prachakarn school in Tambon Talubun which came under suspected insurgents’ gun attack on January 7. The hero canine suffered serious injuries from gunshots and had one of its front legs amputated.
Chao Toom’s heroic act was disclosed by Pol Col Wallop Chamnong-asa, former superintendent of Saiburi police, who brought the injured dog to the hospital for an operation and later took care of it until it recovered and could walk again, with just three legs though.
Recalling the fateful day in January this year, Pol Col Wallop said that four suspected insurgents, riding on two motorcycles, opened fire with AK47 assault rifles at a checkpoint manned by defence volunteers in Ban Paknam. One of the shots hit Mrs Pranee who was then sitting in front of her house which is about ten metres from the checkpoint.
Chao Toom, a stray dog which normally frequented in the neighbourhood, started barking after the gun explosions. Colonel Wallop said he thought the dog’s barking had scared away the assailants and saved the lives of Mrs Pranee and the others.
A police team led by Wallop later arrived at the scene of the attack and saw the injured dog whose right front leg was smashed. The colonel said he told the villagers that Chao Toom would definitely die if it was not given immediate treatment. So, he decided to take to it the hospital for treatment at his own expenses.
The police officer said that he helped the dog out of his mercy and didn’t expect anything in return. One day however he received a call from the governor asking him to receive the compensation money, amounting to 6,418 baht, on behalf of the dog.
Fully recovered from the wound and with a new owner who is a noodle vendor in Saiburi district, Chao Toom still continues to visit the checkpoint at Ban Paknam and serves as a lookout for the villagers against strangers.
As for Pol Col Wallop, he has already been transferred to Panareh district to serve as the acting superintendent.