On 3 December 2009, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, presided over the handover ceremony of flatboats and rescue equipment to the Philippines at Vithes Samosorn 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The handover of flatboats and rescue equipment is part of the assistance rendered to the Philippines in order to prepare the country for natural disaster relief. The Philippines has been affected by various typhoons almost every year. The recent typhoons, namely Ketsana and Parma, hit the Philippines in September and October this year causing a large number of casualties and leaving thousands of families homeless. Mr. Antonio Venus Rodriguez, the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines, received the three flatboats and rescue equipment worth USD 97,800 from Chase Enterprise (Siam) Co., Ltd., on behalf of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.
The handover ceremony is part of the assistance given to the Philippines in addition to the 100 tonnes of rice and 50,000 sets of medicines the Royal Thai Government had previously delivered to the Philippines in the aftermath of the Ketsana and Parma typhoons.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th