The Head of the EU Delegation to Thailand, Ambassador David Lipman, today participated in the distribution of vital food assistance to hundreds of victims of the floods in the Thai capital Bangkok. Consisting mostly of unskilled workers and other poorer members of the city, this particular community living near the city's second airport Dong Muang appealed for help from the Thai Red Cross as their neighbouhood had no been flooded for more than two weeks. The EU funded supplies had to  be transported for more than two hours by trucks and boats to the neighbourhood which lies less than 10 kilometers from the Thai capital's glitzy downtwon skyrises.

The ambassador explained that the EU, through its Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) had committed Euro 2 million (ca. US$2.6 million) to the relief efforts of the Thai Red Cross. Lipman stated that although there was an all out effort by the Thai people and authorities to help hose in need, there was definitely a role for international assistance. He aplauded the resilience of the Thai people and the efforts of thousands of Thai Red Cross volunteers in the face of these historic floods which have inundated large parts of central Thailand and the capital Bangkok. He stated that the EU was ready to provide further assistance, both humanitarian and technical, if requested by the Thai authorities.

Story and photos: Mathias Eick Regional Information Officer, ECHO Thailand.