On 10 December, Thai actor and singer Phakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak received the First-Class Labor Medal from Khammouane Governor Vanxay Phongsavanh, honoring his contributions to public health in Laos’ Khammouane province.
The award highlights Tono’s 2022 fundraising campaign, “One Man and the River,” which raised over LAK 17 billion (USD 776,524) for Khammouane Provincial Hospital.
The movement saw the actor swim across the Mekong River in October 2022, covering 15 kilometers between Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom province and Laos’s Khammouane province, to support two financially struggling hospitals.
Tono’s efforts garnered an impressive THB 40 million (USD 1,049,868), surpassing his initial goal of THB 16 million (USD 419,947).
The funds enabled the procurement of critical medical equipment for Khammouane Provincial Hospital, including ventilators for children, cardiac pacemakers, and vital sign monitors.
