Passed out bikini-clad Aussie filmed being wheeled in a trolley through the backstreets of Thailand by a kind-hearted cop is identified

EXCLUSIVE 

An Australian woman who had to be wheeled back to her hostel in a trolley by cops after a night of heavy drinking in Thailand is a hospitality worker from Victoria. 

Tahli Benson,19, from the Geelong region, and her German friend Sina Baumann, 23, were partying on Koh Phi Phi, in Krabi, on November 29 when they passed out after overindulging at a bar. 

Authorities stepped in after concerned partygoers failed to rouse them, with viral footage showing Sergeant Major Saneh Jualaong wheeling the pair back to their accommodation in a pushcart that he borrowed from a nearby shop.  

The incident came just weeks after warnings about methanol laced drinks in South East Asia following the deaths of six tourists in Laos.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Benson, who is from the Bellarine Peninsula, is a hospitality worker at a local resort.

She is also a talented footballer, who played for the Drysdale Hawks Football Club.  

The video shows the friends in the trolley, slumped over as they were carted back to their hostel. The attentive official cautiously manoeuvred the two-wheeler cart to prevent them from falling out.

Their friends later helped to carry the pair to their rooms and hauled them onto their bunk beds, with the kind officer placing a blanket over one of them.

The officer then informed the lobby staff of the friends’ return. The hotel owner thanked him taking care of the girls.

Sergeant Major Saneh Jualaong said after helping the women in Thailand back home: ‘I know what it’s like to have a daughter and how much we worry about them. I thought about their parents back at home.

‘They were both too drunk to speak and too drunk to stand up. In that condition, they could have an accident, such as falling into the sea or falling down steps.

‘I made sure they returned safely to their beds.’

Police Colonel Surasak Jaidee, superintendent of Koh Phi Phi Police Station, added: ‘As for why he used a trolley, it was because all routes on Koh Phi Phi are for walking, so we could not use a car.

‘The motorcycle was also unable to transport the unconscious passengers, so he had to use the trolley. 

‘This was not the first time police have assisted drunk tourists. They have been doing this for over two years.

‘We understand that they come to the island to have fun. We don’t want to punish them. It is better that we are there to help and protect them.’

Last year, police officials from Patong Police Station implemented a similar safety measure, offering assistance to drunk tourists by ensuring they were safely transported to their accommodations.

This initiative has been credited with helping to prevent accidents and other alcohol-related incidents in the region.

The Ministry of Public Health previously suggested that nightspots wanting to extend their operating hours should implement breathalyser tests for patrons before they leave and arrange transport services, if necessary, as part of efforts to enhance tourist safety.

South East Asia attracts millions of tourists each year to enjoy the culture, history and nightlife.

But concern mounts about the safety of foreign visitors after the reported deaths of six backpackers from drinks tainted with methanol alcohol in Laos last month.

The victims included Australian teenagers Bianca Jones, 19, and Holly Bowles,19, British lawyer Simone White, 28, Danish backpackers Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and US man James Louis Hutson, 57.

The victims had allegedly drank laced vodka shots at Nana backpackers hostel, sparking concern for the safety of foreign travellers in southeast Asia.

Nana backpackers hotel manager Duong Duc Toan and bartender Toan Van Vanng denied diluting their alcohol with methanol when questioned.

Toan was later detained but no charges have been reported. The government of Laos vowed to ‘bring the perpetrators to justice’ in its first public remarks on the international incident.

Toan said he bought the alcohol from a certified distributor and that free shots of Tiger Vodka had been served to around 100 guests.

He said he had yet to received any complaints from other backpackers who been given shots on the night.

He also drank from one of the vodka bottles that were in use on the night to prove it was safe.

As investigations continue, authorities have made further arrests, including several staff from the hostel as well as the owner of the factory identified as the suspected source of the deadly drinks. 

The manufacturing plant is located outside the capital city Vientiane and is understood to have been making the local Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey.

Global statistics reveal 58 incidents of methanol poisoning in the past 12 months, affecting more than 1,200 people and resulting in over 400 deaths.

Methanol is a colourless liquid that tastes similar to alcohol and is a byproduct of bootlegged liquor.

Consuming even a small amount can lead to blindness, multiple organ failure and death.