The Thai Government and Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), as well as the private sector, cooperated together in transporting 100 tons of Thai rice on a THAI freighter aircraft to Haiti. The humanitarian donation of Thai rice will benefit the people of Haiti who have been affected by severe earthquake. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand, presided over the donation ceremony witnessed by representatives from the government and various organization in the ramp area of THAI Air Cargo, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Mr. Piyasvasti Amranand, THAI President, said that transporting 100 tons of Thai jasmine rice from the government of Thailand to the Republic of Haiti was possible due to cooperation from the government and various organizations, in order to provide assistance as quickly as possible. THAI Limited provided relief aid by conducting a humanitarian freighter flight to transport the rice to the Republic of Haiti, at a flight time of 36 hours on the route. A transport by ship would take approximately 5 to 6 weeks to travel from Bangkok to Haiti, and it was decided through the initiative of the Thai government, THAI, and various organizations, to expedite the humanitarian relief. In particular, the donation of Thai rice reflects on Thailand’s national identity as a country that is known as a “world kitchen” and one the world’s largest sources of rice production.
The aircraft utilized in transporting the rice from Thailand to Haiti is a THAI cargo freighter Boeing 747-300F. The freighter flight departed from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday, February 1, 2010 at 1400 hours, with refueling at Incheon Airport in Korea; Anchorage, Alaska; and Miami, Florida in the United States of America, and arrival at Port au Prince Airport in the Republic of Haiti on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 0800 hours (local time).
Tags: Abhisit Vejjajiva, Haiti Earthquake, Piyasvasti Amranand, relief effort, rice, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, Thailand, The Americas
