A Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Makiko Kikuta by a Thai Medical Relief Team (Second Team)

June 3, 2011
Japanese

On Friday, June 3, Ms. Makiko Kikuta, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from Dr. Suthipong Pangkanon, a pediatrician, and Ms. Kim Sakulnoom, a nurse, from the Thai medical relief team dispatched by the Kingdom of Thailand to assist Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kikuta extended her heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Suthipong and Ms. Kim for devoting themselves to provide medical care for many people in the disaster-stricken regions. She expressed her belief that it must have been a great encouragement for the people in the regions to know that warm assistance was being extended from Thailand and other countries and many people in the region have expressed appreciation. She also explained that it was the first experience for Japan to accept foreign Medical Relief Team, but Fukushima Medical University highly appreciated the assistance because of the good cooperation from the team.
In response, Dr. Suthipong stated that it was an honor for him to have been able to offer medical assistance in Japan, and since Thailand have received many medical assistance from Japan, he was very happy to take part in Japan- Thai cooperation for this time. He also said he realized good measures to the situations among shelters he visited, and he was convinced Japan’s early reconstruction. Ms. Kim said that Thai friends asked her to convey their good wishes for the Japanese people before she left Thailand and she was happy to have been able to take part in the Team.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kikuta explained that she realized generous assistance provided by Thailand to Japan when she visited Thailand last month, and thanked Thailand again for its assistance to Japan, stating that the strong bilateral ties of the two countries had been reconfirmed after the earthquake.
Mr. Singtong Lapisatepun, Minister of Royal Thai Embassy in Japan, who was accompanied with the team, thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for having held the briefing regularly for diplomatic corps in Tokyo which provided various information including nuclear power plants in Fukushima, and stated that the Embassy has tried to report the correct information to Thailand to ensure the safety of Japan.

(Reference)

Thai medical relief team, consisting of one pediatrician and one nurse, was dispatched from Thailand to assist Japan, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and toured the evacuation shelters of Fukushima Prefecture in coordination with physicians from Fukushima Medical University, providing medical care to 223 people including children and the elderly. The first team worked from Monday, May 9, to Thursday, May 19, and the second team from Thursday, May 19, to Friday, June 3.

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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