BANGKOK, THAILAND – Sompong Leuadthahan, once revered nationwide as Thailand’s ‘taxi hero’ before being exposed as a fraud, died on Sunday evening at the age of 64.
Death of a controversial ‘hero’
Sompong died on 7 December at 20:06, according to reports circulating rapidly in the Thai media. His family confirmed his death via the Facebook page “Big Krien” and asked for patience, saying funeral arrangements would be announced only after his body was transferred on Monday. His 64-year life traced a dramatic arc between public glory and deep disgrace.
The 1997 tale that deceived a nation
In 1997, the taxi driver told a story that made him famous overnight. He claimed to have found a bag containing 20 million baht at Don Mueang Airport and said the cash and cheques belonged to a foreign businessman. He reported that he had returned the money honourably to its owner, and domestic media quickly embraced him as the “taxi hero,” showering him with awards, cash prizes and frequent television appearances.
Investigative reporting shatters the myth
Later, the newspaper Khao Sod began to investigate after finding too many inconsistencies in the story. The supposedly immediately cashable cheques did not exist, and a key witness, a security guard called “Viroj” whom Sompong had presented in radio interviews, turned out to be invented. A voice analysis showed that the voice was his own, revealing that he had used a disguised voice to reinforce his fabrication.
Confession, prison and a long fall
Under mounting evidence, Sompong broke down and admitted he had fabricated the story in a bid for fame, saying he had been overwhelmed by the scale of the reaction. On 29 September 1997, a criminal court sentenced him to three years in prison, later reducing the term to one year and six months in recognition of his confession. He was also ordered to repay 200,500 baht in prize money and was released after one year and two months behind bars, emerging a broken man.
Life in the shadows after scandal
Following the scandal, Sompong withdrew from the public eye and only years later granted rare interviews. In 2018, he spoke on the programme “Hone Krasae” about the consequences of his actions, saying the scandal had caused him extreme stress and had made him fear for his family’s safety. He apologised for what he had done and asked for another chance, but his name remained synonymous with the biggest Thai media scandal of the 1990s.
Legacy of a self‑destroyed legend
Commentators described his story as one about greedy media dynamics, the addiction to fame and the fragility of truth. Sompong was portrayed as an ordinary man who briefly stood in the spotlight before sinking back into darkness, paying a high price for his lie. With his death, Thailand lost one of its most colourful and tragic figures, while the story of the so‑called “taxi hero” continued to outlive him as a mirror of public expectations, rapid media hype and deep disappointment.