Actor and singer Phakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak swam across the Mekong River on Sunday from Thailand to Laos and raised funds for charity in both countries.
In August, the actor announced that he had started preparing to swim 15 kilometers from Thailand’s northeastern Nakhon Phanom province to the central Lao province of Khammouane.
The Thaiger reports that the 26-year-old actor had set a goal of raising TBH 16 million (USD 419,947) to help Nakhon Phanom Hospital in Thailand and Khammoune Hospital in Laos which are financially struggling with the campaign “One Man and the River”.
However, he exceeded all expectations and ended up raising TBH 40 million (USD 1,049,868) although, despite his good intentions, many criticized his efforts as a publicity stunt and expressed concerns about the actor’s safety and life.
Medical personnel at Khammouane Hospital and Lao people welcomed him with open arms and the former did a checkup to ensure he was healthy and safe. He rested in Laos at a local hotel briefly before heading back to Thailand on the same day.
