On 21 January 2010, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a press briefing at the Foreign Ministry on Thailand’s humanitarian assistance to Haiti following the massive earthquake on 12 January 2010. Gist as follows:
1. Initial Phase of Assistance
1.1 Following the cabinet’s decision to provide financial contribution in the amount of USD 100,000 to assist Haiti, the presentation of the assistance will be held in Mexico on 22 January 2010 (21 January 2010 in Mexico). Mrs. Charuwan Thiemthad, Thai Ambassador to Mexico, will represent the Royal Thai Government to present the assistance to the Haitian envoy in a ceremony attended by high-ranking representatives of the Mexican government. The Royal Thai Embassy in Mexico City will further coordinate with the Mexican authorities concerned in the procurement and delivery of items urgently needed by the Haitians.The cabinet’s decision also stated Thailand’s readiness to help in rehabilitation and restoration of Haiti.
1.2 The Thai Foreign Ministry has assigned Mr. Saroj Thanasanti, Minister Counsellor of the Royal Thai Embassy in Mexico, to travel by Mexican government’s airplane to deliver the aforesaid items to Haiti. He will also use this opportunity to meet with the civil societies and international organizations in the field to discuss about Thailand’s assistance in the next phases.
1.3 Following the cabinet’s decision to send 20,000 tones of rice to help Haiti, the Foreign Ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Commerce regarding the shipment and the appropriate route. In this connection, the Foreign Ministry may request cooperation from the World Food Program’s (WFP) regional office in Bangkok or send the rice aid to WFP distribution centre in the Dominican Republic.
2. Rehabilitation and Restoration phases
2.1 The Foreign Ministry and the Office of the Prime Minister have opened the bank accounts to collect donations for the affected Haitians and so have the private sector and the Thai Red Cross. The Foreign Ministry will coordinate with them whether they want to donate the money to the Emergency Relief Fund for Haiti under the supervision of the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) or to help Haiti via other channels.
2.2 The Foreign Ministry will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Health to arrange medical teams to help Haiti under the framework of international organization.
2.3 The Foreign Ministry will coordinate with the Ministry of Defence in sending army personnel to assist in rebuilding basic infrastructure as well as to join the UN peace keeping operation in Haiti.The Foreign Ministry has coordinated closely with the Royal Thai Embassies, the Permanent Missions of Thailand to the UN, the Royal Thai Consulates General, and the Haitian diplomatic missions overseas on the matter.
3. Aiding Thai Nationals in Haiti
According to report as of 22 January 2010, there are eight Thai nationals living in Haiti. As the earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January 2010, one Thai national was in Thailand. The Department of Consular Affairs, Foreign Ministry, has been able to contact the remaining seven Thai nationals in Haiti, who remained safe. Two are Catholic nuns wish to remain in Haiti to help the affected Haitians. The other 3 Thai nationals who own a Thai restaurant in Port au Prince wish to stay on to look after the business. They are now safe inside the UN shelter. A Thai couple, of which the husband is an employee of an international company, has cooperated with the Department of Consular Affairs in being a coordinator of Thai nationals in Haiti after the earthquake. The couple is currently on their way back to Thailand via Jamaica. There was no report about any missing Thai national in Haiti.
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