BANGKOK: A 57-year-old wonton noodle retailer in north-western Bangkok, famous for showing off his gold jewellery, consulted a lawyer after news reports stating that the Revenue Department planned to investigate him for being unusually wealthy.
An owner of Hong Te wonton noodle shop in a village near Chaeng Wattana Road, Nonthaburi province, who goes by Rangsan, has become well known among netizens for wearing flashy gold necklaces and bracelets while working.
Many netizens have dubbed him “Sia Cake” due to his love for gold ornaments.
Rangsan told the press on Wednesday (Aug 28) that he was concerned about the reasons Revenue Department had to inspect an ordinary noodle retailer who wears gold ornaments.
He said that he had earned the money honestly.
Rangsan explained that he spent around 80,000 baht (S$3,100) from selling land to his elder sister to buy some gold ornaments.
He said he had saved money from selling noodles over the past 32 years to purchase more ornaments until he acquired a total of 375g for 1 million baht.
He further explained that he saved 1,000 baht in profits every day from selling noodles without spending them.
He added that he avoided buying luxury coffee brands and cooked food with his family at home.
“I saved up my money to buy a big gold necklace because it encourages me to continue working,” he said.
When asked about his recent announcement to purchase gold weighing 1.5kg to fulfil his dream, Rangsan confirmed that he was saving money for it.
He added that a gold retailer had asked him to promote her gold shop after seeing his possession of gold ornaments.
Meanwhile, lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet of a justice-seeking advocacy network said there was nothing to worry about the Revenue Department’s move because profits from selling wonton noodles were around 2,000 baht daily.
He did not expect Rangsan’s income to exceed 1.8 million baht annually, adding that the wonton noodle retailer sometimes faced loss.
“I have seen Sia Cake since childhood,” he said, adding that he walks by Rangsan’s noodle stall every day and knows that the retailer is very thrifty.
He said he would allow the agency to inspect Rangsan as part of their process, adding that the retailer should not panic after reading news reports. - The Nation/ANN
