On 1 Dec, a man in Chiang Mai, Thailand, received an unexpected windfall after winning the first prize in the Government Lottery draw.
In particular, 68-year-old Mr Suton, also known as Uncle Jae, had won a total of THB18 million (S$730,000) with the numbers 641252.
According to Thairath, the tickets were given to Uncle Jae — a labourer who earns THB350 (S$15) per day — by a market vendor who told him he could pay for them later.
Source: Postjung
Uncle Jae lived alone in a small, dilapidated house in Ban Mae Subdistrict, San Pa Tong District, which he rented for THB1,500 (S$60) per month, Khaosod reported.
His wife had left him and their son decades ago, unable to bear living in poverty.
Source: Chiang Mai News
A day after he won the lottery, Uncle Jae’s relatives arrived from different districts, offering to take him in, but they couldn’t agree on who he should go with.
The relatives’ disagreement escalated even further when staff from two different banks arrived to convince Uncle Jae to deposit his winnings at their institutions.
Eventually, Uncle Jae’s relatives took him to a bank in Lamphun to claim his lottery prize, Thaiger reported.
Before his lottery win, Uncle Jae was previously homeless until the Chiang Mai Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office had approved the construction of a small house for him, with a budget of THB40,000 (S$1,600), on land belonging to a relative.
However, since he has won a large sum, officials decided to reallocate the funds to help others in need.
The owner of the house Uncle Jae was renting had also offered to sell it to him for THB2 million (S$81,000).
To help the elderly man, the village headman, Chaiyavej Boonthima, suggested that Uncle Jae should buy the property to rent out so he could have a steady income.
The chief also advised him to spend his winnings wisely.
Also read: Man in China flaunts lottery win in WeChat group, fellow member uses his photo to claim prize
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Featured image adapted from Postjung, Chiang Mai News.