Reader submission: Food parcels campaign for Thai in Pattaya
This week I came up with the idea of sharing an action, which I initially wanted to start myself, with my family, friends and association. This had a very nice effect and including my own contribution it had raised € 1.150 in no time and it is still ticking.
Yesterday and today we put together 300 packages (in consultation with some Thai acquaintances and volunteers) with 1 liter of oil, 1 kg, rice, 3 packages of noodles, 2 cans of mackerel in tomato sauce, 5 eggs and a bottle of water. We put this together yesterday and today with a friend (who was also affected) in a massage parlor with only ladies who spontaneously reported. We also ordered 75 small fresh packages.
Also while compiling the packages we received warm reactions from people Thai and Westerners. Only spontaneously gave money really heartwarming. Yesterday at 16:00 we handed this out to the Thai people and really only Thai because I also see Westerners (won't say where they come from) sometimes standing in line on Beach road. This promotion is intended for the needy Thai.
It was an incredible day today. What people! They were already queuing around 14:00 PM, so we had to start distributing earlier, partly due to the heat. It's really not a lie, there were eventually around 700 people in 2 rows, so unfortunately we weren't able to give everyone a package. We had 300 large packages and 75 small ones. This thanks to many of you we had the necessary € 1.100 for the first action in no time. Also co-donated by only Thai and Westerners here. Of the 300 packages, we also delivered 20 to a hospital for the Thai people. But I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
A local newspaper from my region (Venray) has heard about this action via via and thought they should do something with it. They approached me for an article that will be posted this week with some photos of the preparation. There will also be a call to donate, so our action will certainly have a consequence. There is already a small amount ready for the next one and this will certainly be followed up next week.
The good news is that we can probably repeat this action again, which we have already collected € 600. Thanks again to all and your FB friends. But also a special thanks to the Thai volunteers.
Submitted by Fons Merken
In addition to many victims, there are also some winners in this crisis. The supermarket chains are one of them: 7Eleven, Tesco, TOPS.
Why don't the multi-billionaire owners sell the products in these supermarkets at 90-95% discount?
The suppliers could do something about it together with the multi-billionaire owners.
The 7Elevens are run on a franchise basis. The staff must also be paid.
In addition, turnover has plummeted.
Perhaps the franchise fee can be reduced to 0 with the obligation to sell the groceries at a discount…..do the math….
Hello Frank Brands,
Great action and I wish you every success with this!
In particular, your comment regarding the various Westerners who you also see standing in line struck me.
I approached an Action that even openly offered free food on Facebook for Locals and Foreigners. I pointed out to them that these kinds of actions are only intended for the Thai people who have now become Jobless, Homeless and Foodless due to the Corona. I better leave the answer to this out of consideration.
Once again I wish you every success and hopefully we will meet again somewhere soon.
Because of the Lockdown of Pattaya, I can't get in there from the Eastside for a while.
We do something similar ourselves here in Soi Khao Talo.
Best regards. Bz
I fully support providing free food to Thais. Farang who are also in line should be ashamed and sent away from the line. But to say that you can no longer enter Pattaya from the east side (soi Khao Talo} is a bit premature. I have just been there and there was no man to be seen at the checkpoints. It will probably be nothing like the first time. I think you will be allowed in if you have a reason, and I have a reason, my mia noi lives in soi kophai.
Dear Gust,
The Lockdown for Pattaya officially went into effect on the day in question.
But not being allowed to enter Pattaya but being able to enter are of course two completely different things.
Especially in Thailand!
Best regards. Bz
Very nice gesture, people certainly benefit from that. That there are also hitchhikers*, well, it's not right, but some people do everything for free, even if it's at someone else's expense. In addition to farangs, there must have been Thai people who could also do without a package. That you focus on the Thai is fine, although I assume that affected poor foreigners (think of Cambodians from the construction industry) were not sent away either?
*For example, the Bangkok Post says that there were people who asked for a fixed XNUMX compensation for help with applying for the XNUMX fixed handout! See below here: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1900595/relief-cash-only-covers-a-month
Fortunately, there are still people who do step into the breach for others without benefiting themselves. Kudos to all who help others. 🙂
(Five) thousand fixed = (five) thousand baht. My automatic spelling correction sometimes does unexpected things.
Why not mention on the blog to which account can be deposited for donations ?
That would certainly pay off to help the poor there!
I don't think that's a good idea.
Giving money is of course the easiest way to help people, but often it does not reach the people who really need it.
It takes a lot of organization to manage that in the right direction, especially when a lot of money is involved.
I think that distributing food packages, such as the initiative mentioned above, is much better. This will prevent the Thai from using the money to gamble or to buy alcohol.
Goodbye,
I just hope that it is not the case that the bank asks 15% commission for the transfer to a Thai number. Yesterday I deposited an amount for the first time for an acquaintance in trouble, in Pattaya, and it is scandalous how the Belgian (Flemish) bank bills itself richly.
Make this difficult. I know from many experiences that thai with money also use this kind of opportunity because "free" is a magic word for the thai. In addition, I also have no idea whether the farang who want to use this need it or not. If you run out of money, you can't pin and you're stuck here, I'll give those people a free meal
Over the years I have carried out targeted actions on really poor population groups, eg hill tribes that are almost impossible to reach. I support my village hairdresser, where no one comes anymore, with some money now and then because I know that otherwise he would not be able to keep his head above water with two small children.
But I'm sure if I handed out free packages here half of the customers wouldn't need it.
Another wonderful initiative, as there are many here in Pattaya, and to which I also contribute. Warm actions for Thais in need.
But unfortunately I also saw the same thing as you: a farang in line… I waited a while to see what happened. Was on Thappraya road. He received two boxes of complete meals, two bottles of water and two pieces of fruit.
I followed him, and 10 meters away his wife, also farang, was waiting with 5 bags full of food they had just bought at the Foodmarket! Laughing they walked away with everything, and talking, that's how I knew what nationality I had (which I already suspected).
Unfortunately, the man was a head taller than me, and once as wide,… but different….!
Can you explain what you mean by this comment? ”really only Thai because I also see westerners (will not say where they come from) sometimes standing in line on Beach road”.
Are you saying that Westerners, by definition, don't need help? That Westerners are by definition freeloaders? Can't they also be stranded? Why not say where they come from? The latter might clarify what you mean by that whole sentence.
What do you think people in the Netherlands would think if you did distribute food packages to Dutch people, but not to immigrants? The whole story smacks of virtue signaling towards the local community. Helps fine, but excluding it doesn't seem right to me.
Not all, but the majority come from Great Britain. From where else. And if the Netherlands only handed out to Dutch people, I would find that very wise.
I think this was in jomtien near the tmb. Yupin was also across the street, see Pattaya mail. But we in jomtien complex do this every day with your permission. I will send 4 photos separately by email for an impression.
It is with secondhand embarrassment that I am typing this comment. I'll tell you why.
Yesterday afternoon, representatives of the army came to the soi and asked if poor people here (in townhouses and other houses, not residents of the condo) would put a table outside today around 7 o'clock in the evening so that they could take a bag with the king's stuff. could receive. They even rang the doorbell of a very large house of a retired general. This one is made of the right stuff and lashed out at the representatives saying that they should give those sacks to real poor people and not to him.
Who sketches my surprise and horror half an hour ago. All my neighbors across the street who are not poor at all (some of them have reasonable jobs) had all put a table outside and received the bag. The real poor here live in the condo (we are now helping a few families who really have no income anymore) and received…………………………NOTHING.
I really have no words for it.
Free is a magic word for the Thai that I wrote before. Better try to help the people you know directly.
You do know that not participating in such shows is seen as arrogance, right?
I seem to remember that there were complaints about a man who prefers to be in Germany that he would not provide support. These packages are delivered year round and yes maybe it's marketing but something is more than nothing.
The question is, of course, whether those who don't really need it are really stingy enough to gobble it up themselves. It can also be given to staff who send it to family in need with perhaps a little extra.
The things that are not talked about can be much more important.
Just 1 army man came in the soi to hand over the bags. No show. No one else present but the other neighbours.
Will respond anyway, and explain to the comment I made about Westerners. People who know me know that I am the last to discriminate. However, I stand behind our decision only the Thai (and yes also Cambodians, for example). And yes, there are also freeloaders among this group. Is anyone among you who noticed that there were many well-dressed people in the photos? My advice, take a good look at the photos. What I saw on beach road in Jomtien was just embarrassing, yes there were well dressed Westerners there. I know there are also those who have a problem, but I think that's a few. Those genes that reside here, by definition, have the ability to go back. There are still flights to Europe and other regions, only klm already twice a week, but other countries also send planes. And I also assume that people have the opportunity to get money. This in comparison to many Thai who do not have this or no longer have it. I then continue to choose that I may meet a single Westerner against a large group of Thai. We had noticed that among the hundreds in the rows there was only 2 bunch of Westerners who I kindly addressed and understood the explanation, they left without making a comment. So next time we will do it this way again and yes if I come across a westerner who is in trouble I will really help him or her as far as I can.
Clear explanation. My gut tells me then only a handful of the white noses in TH really need food aid. I also assume that they will be polite but embarrassed to ask for help. A rough sifting is all you can do when handing out. The only ones I dare to point a finger at are shameless Thai and Farang who keep their heads above water and still accept aid package (for their own use, my gut also tells me that, for example, the people Chris mentions do not take the handouts and then personally to the really poor).
But those who know me, I like to be beaten around with sources that show something different or that support my feeling. 🙂 Enough rambling from me. Have a nice day everyone.
Hello Fund,
Once again, I think it's an excellent explanation and I wholeheartedly support your point of view.
Because perhaps not all readers are aware of this, it seems useful to me to add that in Thailand the following requirements are set for foreigners to be allowed to stay in Thailand:
An income of at least 65.000 baht per month or 800.000 baht fixed in a bank account.
(Married to a Thai that is 50%)
If not, you may wonder how that foreigner can be here.
Then it must be a holidaymaker and they are not poor if they can afford a trip to Thailand. Stranded or not all ATM machines still work fine, so cash withdrawal does not have to play a role.
It is to your credit that you state that if a foreigner is really in trouble, you will of course also help him. That's exactly how I think about it.
Again good luck with this excellent action!
Best regards. Bz
There are really people who save for a long time because they really want to go to Thailand. People who normally have to make ends meet and who are now stranded by the circumstances. I know people who are in the red at the end of every month and then there is nothing to pin.
So I don't understand why people are so angry at farang who are also in that queue and admit that they cannot take care of themselves. Some will abuse this, but there are plenty of Thais who do the same. Farang are already being discriminated against with entry fees, treatment at the state hospital and most recently ineligibility for “thai only” face mask actions.
And now we are going to discriminate against farang ourselves, yuck.
Hello Hans,
People who have to make ends meet at the end of the month do not go on holiday to Thailand!
Best regards. Bz
Have you researched that?
I've known plenty of people in my life who lived almost in poverty and who spent the whole year saving for their annual vacation when everything had to give way. People who did not want to replace their worn-out furniture because the annual holiday was sacred to them. It is incomprehensible that this group is discriminated against.
Hello Hans,
You don't need research for that any more than you need it for your opinion.
Is it discrimination
to say that people who cannot make ends meet at the end of the month do not go on holiday to Thailand?
No of course not!
I am not suggesting that they are not allowed, but in addition to a sober mind, also establish this on a 50-year experience that you simply do not encounter these types of people here. That people would really like that is of course a completely different story.
Is it discrimination
that Thailand only allows people to stay in Thailand with a demonstrable minimum income of 65.000 baht per month or at least 800.000 baht in the bank?
You can explain this in different ways, but I will leave that to everyone for themselves, but there is of course a good reason for this, which is also directly related to our subject.
Beautiful sad story Han and I also wholeheartedly wish that kind of people to be able to visit beautiful Thailand, but unfortunately you will not encounter them here.
Maybe a Crowdfund campaign “Thailand for the poor” is an idea for you?
I am willing to be the first to contribute!
Best regards. Bz
You really mix everything up.
I'm talking about tourists, they don't need to have 65000 baht income per month.
I also did not state that the government discriminates against them by making these money demands because that is not necessary for tourists.
It is discrimination if you only want to give food packages to thai, undoubtedly a few farang will abuse it, the thai do too.
Discrimination is also if the Thai government wants to make face masks available only to the Thai, just like all other discriminatory measures against farang.
But if you also feel good about discriminating against Westerners, you should do so. Well integrated.
Hello Hanne,
I am also talking about tourists and make it very clear that you will not find people among them who have to make ends meet every month.
However, since our discussion is about rejecting Farang in general in the queue that is meant to obtain free food for the Thai who have now become Jobless, Incomeless, Homeless and Foodless, I again state that Farang is therefore also cannot be persons staying here because they then have to meet certain strict income requirements of Thailand as mentioned.
So if there is a Farang in between, something is not right!
Now the nice thing that Fons does is that he approaches to inquire about the reason and that people usually drop out. That speaks volumes, I suppose.
Perhaps you should also read back in this Topic about what others have already experienced personally, for example in Jomtien, then you will understand exactly what I mean. Disgusting!
And of course there are also Thai people who do not actually belong in these rows, but unfortunately we cannot remove them on the basis of a Western appearance. But the majority is ok and that's what matters.
With the Farang, however, it is the other way around and if there is one in between, it will also be provided with pleasure and probably even more, I am convinced.
By the way, do you have any idea what the Thai think of a Westerner standing in line?
I can assure you that that does our name as Farang no good!
You call it discrimination and we call it preventing abuse.
Best regards. Bz
Dear Bram Ever thought about that these people could also be sick like diabetes meds can also make you fat.
Dear Fons Brands,
Well done! Nice!
I find it very strange that there are still people who really want to get a piece of everything.
My wife says "thank you very much", Thai people can also see that we like to contribute to the Thai.
Top.
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
I think it is a wonderful and effective idea from the contributor with a warm heart for the ordinary Thai population, thanks to Mr. Fons Merken, had to do much more.
Every day I see here on TV and through my spouse's notebook the misery that all this entails.
Having been abandoned by your government, more and more angry people are going home with an empty stomach.
I saw images of long and very long queues of Thai people in Bangkok an hour ago.
These images made an incredible impression on me.
Last week I made two donations, one to the government and medical faculty of medicine Sundok hospital in Chiangmai and one to the Lampun government provincial hospital.
Because these important institutions are also having tough times during the corona crisis.
I handed over both donations personally with my spouse, and were gratefully accepted on the spot with a warm heart.
Jan Beute.