BANGKOK: Chiang Rai native Sirinthorn Ja-ue was travelling to South Korea to spend the New Year holidays with her mother’s new family when she died tragically in the Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport on Sunday (Dec 29).
Flight 2216 which was travelling from Bangkok to Muan skidded off the runway and collided with a concrete barrier before bursting into flames, killing 179 of the 181 people on board.
Sirinthorn 'Mei' Ja-ue, a 22-year-old from Mae Suai district was among the two Thai women killed in the crash.
After the tragic news broke, officials visited Sirinthorn’s family in Huai Nam Khun village to offer their condolences and support.
Sirinthorn’s uncle Teerapat Ja-ue, 37, said Sirinthorn was travelling to South Korea to visit her mother, who has lived there with her new family for more than 10 years. This was Sirinthorn’s second trip to South Korea, following an earlier trip in July.
Her mother, who was waiting to pick her up at the airport, was told by airport staff that the plane had encountered problems while landing.
Although initially alarmed, she didn’t expect the situation to escalate into a major disaster. She called Teerapat but without further information, he assumed the passengers would disembark safely.
After seeing the video of the plane on social media, he hesitated to inform anyone, including Sirinthorn’s mother, for fear of causing panic. It wasn’t until later that Sirinthorn’s mother received confirmation from the airport and was left in shock.
Teerapat said that the airline had offered to provide plane tickets for himself and Sirinthorn’s two younger brothers to travel to South Korea to collect her remains, adding that the family has yet to decide whether to hold a ceremony in South Korea and bring back her ashes or repatriate her body for religious rites at home.
Sirinthorn, who comes from an ethnic minority, was a source of pride for her family, having chosen to pursue higher education. A bright student, she earned a scholarship to study Airline Business Management at the Faculty of Humanities and Tourism Management at Bangkok University.
Sirinthorn dreamed of becoming a flight attendant after graduation, which was only three months away. The family had already planned to attend her graduation ceremony together to celebrate her achievement.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed through the Thai Embassy in Seoul that two Thai passengers, Sirinthorn Ja-ue and Jonglak Duangmanee, died in the accident.
The Ministry, which has again expressed its condolences to relatives of the victims, says the embassy is coordinating with the South Korean authorities and Jeju Air to assist in arranging travel for the relatives to South Korea, including facilitating the necessary documentation. - The Nation/ANN
