All hands to the deck

Last week, diplomats, Bangkok residents and socialites in inner areas such as Sukhumvit and Rama I Road got together at two main shopping complexes to lend a hand to those affected by the floods.
The Emporium Shopping complex hosted a volunteer kitchen supported by various embassies called “Emporium One Heart Volunteer Kitchen” while Siam Paragon, Siam Centre and Siam Discovery joined forces with Royal Thai Army for the “Siam Ruam Jai Thai Chuay Thai” flood relief effort.
The Emporium volunteer kitchen will be providing 2,500 cooked meal boxes per day and volunteers are welcome to come along until December 5 to its parking area on the ground floor of B building. The launch event saw ambassadors, embassy representatives and celebrities preparing foods as well as donating rice and drinking water. Argentinean envoy Ana Maria Ramirez cooked sausages and had celebrities Cholpansa Nalura, Jennis Sinthavacheewa and Vipawee Korman helping with the packing. Other ambassadors slaving over a hot stove included Javier Becker from Chile, Seiji Kojima and his wife Tami from Japan, Jorge Eduardo Chen Charpentier from Mexico, and Jorge Juan Castaneda Mendez from Peru. Representing the Philippines was Randy Bagaipo Arquiza while Aizul Sofrin Abdul Aziz and Chorkaew Chehawae did the honours on behalf of Brunei.
The Mexican ambassador expressed his deepest sympathy to the Thai people and said that in his view, the Thais have confronted the situation in a very positive way. “Thai people have shown enormous solidarity. There is so much voluntary work.”
Ambassador Kojima said the Japanese people and the government of Japan were behind the people of Thailand and would continue their assistance in many areas including the volunteer kitchen. He has encouraged Japanese community in Sukhumvit area to come along and participate in the activity. The embassy has been in close contact with Japanese residents affected by the flooding and provided them with constant information. “After the tsunami and earthquake, some Japanese cancelled their travel plans. There are not many Japanese tourists coming to Thailand at the moment but I hope that will not last for long and soon they will resume their trips to Thailand as usual since there are still many beautiful places to visit like Chiang Mai or Phuket,” he said.
The kitchen cooks food in two sessions: from 7 to 10am and from 10am to 2pm. Meal boxes are sent out to flooded areas on Rama II, Petchakasem, Aom Yai district and Buddha Mondhol Roads, the Peun Piung Pa Flood Relief Centre, and also to Lam Luk Ka, Bang Kuwat, and Keha Klong IV in Pathum Thani. Chicken is the meat of choice, usually fried with different spices and vegetables like ginger, garlic, bell pepper, green chilli paste. Omelette also features on the menu.
Cathareeya English, Cholada Mekratree, and Krit Sripoomset, say although they are not great cooks, they believe anyone can contribute to the cause. They were proved right, as some 30 kindergarten students from Baan Rak Kindergarten also helped packing the cooked food.
Ubolrat Chawteerapluk created her own menu “EM Ball Rice” – a edible mix featuring fried rice mixed chicken, curry paste and egg.
Over at Siam Paragon’s Parc Paragon, government agencies, private companies, non-profit organisations, volunteer networks and others are working hard to raise funds and collect supplies to help flood victims under the project “Siam Ruam Jai Thai Chuay Thai”. The project sends out 20 trucks every day to facilitate the movement of residents in various flood-affected areas of Bangkok while mobile medical teams from Samitivej, BNH and Bumrungrad provide free health services. More than 100 retail outlets in the shopping complex are contributing to the effort through various types of donations.
At the launch event, relief bags were delivered to the aid truck caravan by volunteers led by Khunying Chada Wattanasiritham, chairman of Siam Paragon Development and various celebrities, among them Nichabul Nakasai, Unchisa Vacharaphl, Uabuan and Wattana Chumsai na Ayudhaya, Tipanun, Thanyathip, Thiptanwa Walayasevi, Pimdao Panichsamai, Saraichat Kunjara Jirapaet, Kornkanok Youngsakul, Pemanij Jamikorn, Panward Hemmanee, Sririta Jensen, Chalita Fuangarom, Neeranart Kolt and Pitsinee Tanvibool