The Thai Navy on Thursday rescued a Vietnamese man who was trying to force India to join his wife he separated from two years ago due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Ho Hoang Hung had left Phuket, in southern Thailand, at the beginning of March on a small inflatable boat carrying a few water cans and bags of instant noodles.
His goal: to cross the Bay of Bengal and reach India some 2,000 kilometers away to see his wife, whom he has been separated from for two years due to strict travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, the 37-year-old was seen on a fishing boat near Thailand’s Similan Islands, about 80 kilometers from the mainland.
Captain Pechit Songtan of the Maritime Security Command Center in Thailand told AFP that the fishermen contacted the authorities who came to rescue him and detained him.
The captain added that Ho Hoang Hung had no map, compass, GPS, or spare clothing and only had a limited amount of water.
His journey began in Vietnam where he traveled to Bangkok. When he heard that he needed a visa to go to India, he traveled by bus to Phuket where he bought the canoe.
Apparently, he was hampered by headwinds, and he made little progress in the two weeks of his journey.
Ho Hoang Hung will be taken to Phuket where he will be questioned.
The Thai authorities contacted the embassies of Vietnam and India to look into his case.
