PHUKET fisherman Wichan Aubpan is delighted to have his longtail boat back, recovered thanks to Karon's village headman from thieves who struck in the night.

Tears of joy fell today when the boat was trailered back to Phuket and into the water off Kata beach, where Khun Wichan rejoiced by sending up prayers and garlanding the longtail's prow with sweet yellow blooms.

''Without my boat I would have had no chance of earning and living and feeding my two young children,'' the Phuket-born and bred fisherman said. ''I am so grateful to the village headman.''

Karon chief Winai Chitchiew was Khun Wichan's last hope. The 46-year-old fisherman went to Chalong Police Station and reported the theft of his longtail. The boat disappeared in darkness on April 21.

Although police noted the theft, it did not appear to be a priority, so Khun Wichan turned to fellow locals for help. He had bought the boat for 85,000 baht as a replacement for one that was smashed to bits in the 2004 tsunami.

''Replacing this one would be more expensive,'' he said. ''We make ends meet with fishing and some tourist trips. It's not easy to save.''

Karon headman Winai set to work, relying on contacts along the Andaman coast, including the Thai navy, north as far as Ranong, on the border with Burma. When that endeavor drew a blank, Khun Winai turned south.

Eventually word came that a gang from a village in Satun had been commissioned to ''borrow'' four longtail boats from Phuket. Khun Winai went south himself and told the borrower that the matter would go no further, if Khun Wichan's Phuket boat was returned.

And so today, the ''borrowed'' longtail - with paint obscuring identification signs below the watermark - was back in the water again off Kata. Locals gathered to cheer their successful detective work.

And Khun Winai said he spotted three more ''borrowed'' Phuket longtails in the water off Satun, but their recovery will have to rest with other Phuket village headmen.