(L to R) Gudmund Eiksund, president of the Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya, and Peter Malhotra, MD of the Pattaya Mail Media Group
work with Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome on ways to help flood victims in
Central Thailand.
Staff reporters
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome last Friday told the Pattaya
Relief Group committee that relief efforts by the people of Pattaya
through City Hall have grown to a very large scale since the flood
crisis erupted. “We have made many trips by boat to the badly affected
areas and the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation volunteers are
busy distributing relief packages in Pathum Thani which is now bearing
the brunt of the massive deluge.”
The mayor met with the committee on October 21 so
that the group, led by Steve Graham, MD of Securitas Thailand and
Gudmund Eiksund, president of the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, along
with Peter Malhotra, MD of the Pattaya Mail Media Group could
update him on their effort to raise funds for immediate and long term
relief efforts for the flood victims in Thailand.
Sawang Boriboon
Foundation rescue workers from Pattaya prepare to set out on a rescue
mission in Ayuthaya in a Securitas Thailand rescue boat.
The mayor agreed that a lot of aid will be needed to
help put the people back on their feet after the floods subside and the
extent of the damage could be clearly seen. This is also the plan of the
Pattaya Relief Group. President Gudmund said, “Thousands of people have
lost their homes and businesses, and many have lost their livelihoods.
We will try to help these unfortunate people pick up the pieces and
rebuild their lives again.”
The next day at the invitation of Bert Elson,
secretary of the Royal British Legion, members of the Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya gathered at Tropical Bert’s to receive a truck load of
relief packages that had been donated by members of the Legion and their
families and friends. Bert said, “Members of the Royal British Legion
Thailand recently decided to try and help those in need in parts of
Thailand that are flooded. Whilst we of course cannot use legion funds,
as members there was nothing to stop us using our own funds to help. I
decided to send out e-mails to all our members asking for donations and
was soon taken aback with the deluge of positive responses.”
The packages were loaded onto a Securitas van that
hauled them off for safekeeping. A caravan left Pattaya last Tuesday to
bring the massive loads of aid packages to the people in the north.
(L to R) Bert Elson,
Philip Wall Morris, Dieter Reigber, Dennis Stark, Gudmund Eiksund,
Brendan Kelly and Peter Malhotra prepare to load up rescue supplies to
send to flood victims.
Bert continued, “We have members all over the world
and received pledges not just from our members here in Thailand but the
United Kingdom, Brazil, Iraq, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Within
a few days we had more than 40,000 baht’s worth of food aid lying on
Tropical Bert’s Bar! Getting the goods was a feat in itself and took
members three shopping trips to the major department stores in town.
Donations were made not only by Legion members as we also received a
generous donation of 15,000 baht from Lodge Pattaya West Winds, for
which we are very grateful.
“Our next concern was how to ensure that the relief
packages would be distributed correctly, so we turned to the Pattaya
Relief Group for assistance. With the help of Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya and Securitas Thailand we are assured that the goods
will be delivered directly into the hands of the needy.
“We sincerely thank all those who donated and helped
with our extra large shopping list.”
