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A video of a teary farewell between a Thai man and his elderly neighbour, whom he has looked after for a decade, has gripped the hearts of many.
Elderly woman cried during farewell
The man, 27-year-old Prasert Pumwang, who goes by the handle @_kunpan on TikTok, posted a clip of the moving out process, which has garnered over 4.1 million views since it was uploaded on Jun. 26.
Many of the individuals were moved by how emotional Prasert's 90-year-old neighbour, Samneang, was in the 34-second video.
The young man can be seen bringing his personal belongings and furniture out of the premises' gate in Bangkok as the elderly woman, who is a grandmother, looked on forlornly from behind her meshed gate.
Image screenshot from @_kunpan/TikTok.
She appeared at a loss as Prasert bade goodbye to her.
He wrote in his TikTok caption, "Staying in the room next to grandma for 10 years. Moved out. Grandma cried. [I feel] very sorry for Grandma."
Lived alone for more than 50 years
The pair had been next door neighbours for the past 10 years.
Image screenshot from @_kunpan/TikTok.
Prasert was just 17 when he moved into the apartment complex and first got acquainted with Samneang.
He told Thai media outlet Khaosod that she had been living alone for over the past 50 years or so after her son passed away at the age of 19.
Apart from the people in the community who would pop by from time to time to check in on her, Samneang had no other friends. She is reportedly not in contact with any family members.
Looked out for one another
Things changed for Samneang after Prasert moved in as they began to look out for each other and gradually grew closer.
Samneang would help him keep his laundry when it rained while he was not at home.
She would also gather the belongings that Prasert would sometimes forget and mistakenly leave outside his house.
She also collected his letters on his behalf and kept them dry by wrapping them in a plastic bag, which she would then hang on his door handle.
Screenshot from @_kunpan/TikTok.
More than neighbours
Prasert kept Samneang company and has taken care of her when she was not feeling well.
While she may be getting on in years, Prasert told Khaosod that Samneang is mostly self-sufficient.
However, she has high blood pressure and experiences occasional breathing difficulties at night and would knock on Prasert's door when that happened.
He also helped Samneang seek financial assistance after learning that she was living off her dwindling savings and monthly payouts.
Prasert said he found Samneang endearing and even began to consider her as his own grandmother over time, despite sharing no blood relations with her.
90-year-old grandma Samneang. Image from Khaosod website.
Broke into tears at news of him moving away
It was so difficult for Prasert to tell Samneang that he was moving away that he put it off for two weeks before he finally broke the news to her.
He shared that the elderly woman could not believe her ears and appeared at a loss for a few moments before she started crying.
Prasert, who had to move away for personal reasons, recounted feeling helpless when he saw her in distress.
Promised weekly visits
He promised Samneang that he will visit with his children every week as she loves kids.
Samneang with Prasert's child. Image screenshot from @_kunpan/TikTok.
Having fostered such a close relationship for a decade, it was only natural for Samneang to miss Prasert.
The elderly woman confided that she felt a sense of loss immediately after he moved out, but is happy that he will be visiting her every week.
She added that she is open to moving in with Prasert, and would be over the moon if he suggested it.
You can watch the heart wrenching video below:
@_kunpan อยู่ห้องข้างยาย10ปีย้ายออกยายร้องไห้สงสารยายมาก#ยายอยู่คนเดียวไม่มีลูก ♬ ฉันจะมีเธออยู่ - Pango
Top image screenshot from @_kunpan/TikTok