Kasit urges people to postpone trips

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DISASTER HIT JAPAN

Kasit urges people to postpone trips
By The Nation 2011-03-18

Evacuees may be moved to other countries first

The Foreign Affairs Ministry yesฌterday warned Thai people to postฌpone their trips to disasterhit Japan and has urged Thais living in 11 affected prefectures to temporarily move southwards.

Meanwhile, Thai authorities are reported to have considered evacuating Thais in Japan first to neighbouring countries by air or ship, before putting them aboard flights for Thailand.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya said the Thai embassy in Tokyo and the Thai consulategenerฌal in Osaka had prepared the plan for Thai evacuees to be moved to South Korea, China and Taiwan, before boarding planes to Thailand.

The Thai government had coordinated the plan with shipping companies, having them ready to pick up Thais from Japan in case of emerฌgency, he said.

Denying a report that air tickets to Bangkok were expensive, Kasit said the prices were normal and affirmed the ministry would help Thais with insufficient funds to go home by advancing the ticket money for them.

Families of Thai embassy officials have been moved out of Tokyo, while officials remain in Tokyo to help their fellow countrymen.

Kasit yesterday received 5,000 blankets, worth Bt1.25 million, from Thai Beverage and received a Bt500,000 cash donation from Thailand Tennis Association presiฌdent Suwat Lipatapanlop to help Japanese victims.

Kasit's secretary, Chavanont Intarakomalsut and officials arrived in Tokyo yesterday along with 200 kiloฌgrams of relief items to deliver to Wat Paknam Narita where some 100 Thais are sheltered pending flights home. They then picked up and took 17 stranded Thais in Fukushima Prefecture to the temple.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi yesฌterday warned Thais wishing to travฌel to Japan's affected areas to postฌpone their trips until the situation was back to normal. Thais living in 11 affected provinces were urged to move southwards and follow news reports closely.

In Chiang Mai, Provincial Police Region 5 yesterday presented Bt200,000 in donation money to the ConsulateGeneral of Japan in Chiang Mai, Kazuo Shibata.

Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Civil Affairs deputydirector Group Captain Mana Prasopsri said the RTAF had arranged three C130 transport aircraft to carry relief supฌplies to Japan. The first of the two airฌcraft was to leave last night while another would depart tomorrow. He said the planes would return on March 19, carrying Thais coming home.

Meanwhile, 34 Thai students in Japan, upon arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday night, tearfully reunited with their families and told reporters about the hardship during the disaster. Their travelling expenses were covered by "Feelgoodinc" on social networks Facebook and Twitter.

Juthathip Wiwattanapanwong, who was studying for a masters degree at Sendai City's Tohoku University, said she was still haunted by frequent aftershock quakes. Fellow student Bhakin Osotprapan recalled that, after the quake and tsunami hit, peoฌple at first suffered from food, drinkฌing water and electricity shortages. A housewife in Sendai, Saowanee Hinata, 39, said she almost lost her son and daughter in the tsunami as their school was hit by tidal waves, but they escaped.

In related news, 11 tourists are reported to be missing after high waves yesterday capsized a longtailed boat heading to Koh Prab in Surat Thani's Kanchanadit district. Several houses and 10 fishing boats at Tambon Na Kleu in Chon Buri's Bang Lamung district were damaged by high waves yesterday morning.

In Chumphon's Lang Suan district, a fishing boat was capsized by threemetrehigh waves but all 14 crew members were rescued.