CP Group’s Senior Chairman Dhanin leads colleagues in paying respects to earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand

On March 31, Mr Dhanin Chearavanont, Mr Soopakij Chearavanont and Mr Suphachai Chearavanont – respectively Senior Chairman, Chairman, and Senior Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Charoen Pokphand Group – led fellow executives and employees at CP offices and factories around the world in holding a moment ofsilence to commemorate those who lost their lives in the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand on Friday. 

Mr Dhanin expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those who died and extended his sympathies to the many people severely impacted by the disaster. He said the CP Group wouldcontinue to monitor the situation closely, reiterating its commitment to supporting relief efforts. Every business unit, he added, had prioritised efficient crisis management and the swift deployment of all available resources to where they were urgently needed. 

This was followed by an emergency meeting of the CP Group’s Earthquake Impact Management Team chaired by Mr Suphachai. During this he emphasized the need for every business unit to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of their customers, employees and partners. Regarding the structural integrity of company premises and facilities, he confirmed that a team of independent (third party) structural engineers had completed inspections of CP Group office buildings. With these declared to be safe, normal operations had been permitted to resume at each building. However, given CP Group’s diverse operating environments – as well as the varying impact of the earthquake in different regions – each business unit was authorised to adjust its approach accordingly.

Mr Suphachai then assigned volunteers from the ‘CP for Good Deeds’ scheme to spearhead the company’s urgent support to relief efforts under the banner ‘Sending Strength / Encouragement to Earthquake Victims’. Assistance to affected parts of Thailand and Myanmar would commence immediately and be provided unceasingly through close cooperation with public sector bodies and a network of local community groups, agencies and NGOs. 

On April 1, two Royal kitchen stations set up in Bangkok were supplied with essential food items by a team of CP for Good Deeds volunteers, led by Mr Jhomkitti Sirikul, CP Group’s Executive Vice President, Sustainability Development: Public Sector and Corporate Relations, Ms Puangphen Sunthornsiri, Deputy Managing Director, CPF Global Food Solution, and Mr Tienchai Jupattanakul, CP Intertrade’s Vice President Corporate Communication & CSR. The donations were received by Maj Gen Suravith Dangchant, Chief of Staff, 1st Army Area, and included the following:

• 450 kg of Chia Tai rice from CPI
• 10,000 eggs from CPFGS
• 1,000 bottles of drinking water from CP All
• 500 pieces of Le Pan bread from CPRAM

These supplies were used to feed earthquake survivors and rescue workers, including those affected by the collapse of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) building in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok. 

CP for Good Deeds has also undertaken the prompt distribution of essential supplies to first responders and affected communities elsewhere, so far contributing the following:

• 30,000 eggs (1,000 trays), 500 kg of chicken, and 300 kg of pork from CPFGS, valued at THB 193,000
• 1,470 kg of Chia Tai rice (294 bags) from CPI
• Dim sum and bread from CPRAM

CP Group has also lent its support to the Phetkasem Foundation, arranging delivery of the following supplies to its donation point at the Erawan Shrine, near the JJ Mall:

• 18,000 eggs, 500 kg of chicken, and 510 kg of Chia Tai rice (102 bags)
• 12,000 eggs, 300 kg of pork, and 510 kg of Chia Tai rice (102 bags) courtesy of the Goodness Foundation and its founder, Dr Panadda Wongphudee (Bum)
• 450 kg of Chia Tai rice (90 bags) contributed by the Ruamkatanyu Foundation
• 12,000 CP-branded masks to help protect volunteers and officials from the harmful effects of dust and debris particles in disaster zones. 

Meanwhile, True Corporation has utilised its network infrastructure to provide stable lines of communication to rescue teams in affected or isolated areas. 

With the earthquake having wreaked devastation throughout many parts of Myanmar, CP Group is committed to providing aid and assistance to communities affected. A relief team led by Mr Uthai Tantipimonphan, Vice Chairman of Myanmar CP Livestock has visited the ShweGu Monastery in Yangon, where a shelter has been set up for those displaced by the earthquake. The team provided survivors with food and essentials, including: 

• drinking water, 
• 1,000 eggs, 
• 150 packs of chicken sausages
• cooking oil

Makro Myanmar, along with fellow members of the Thai Business Association of Myanmar (TBAM), has arranged the supply of essentials to those affected through the Myanmar Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement, with the support of Mr Mongkol Visitstump, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar. These included:

• 150 pallets of drinking water
• 100 pallets of instant noodles
• 150 pallets of cakes
• 40 pallets of energy drinks

All of these provisions have been donated with the aim of bringing sustenance to survivors and helping them overcome the challenges facing them at this difficult time.