On 3 June 2013, the Royal Thai Embassy in collaboration with Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) organized a charity event entitled “New Legs, New Life for Myanmar Disabled”, presided by Mr. PisanuSuvanajata, Ambassador of Thailand to Myanmar.  The main purpose of this initiative is to raise awareness and raise fund for the project to support the improvement of prosthetic service in Myanmar so that the disabled can have better access to high quality and low cost prosthetic legs which will help them lead a fruitful life.  This initiative is also aimed at promoting the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Thai companies doing business in Myanmar to return the profits back to local people.

 

     In his opening remarks, Ambassador Pisanu noted that making merits through helping less fortunate people to have better lives was a great merit for humankind.  The fund raised from this event, as well as the proceeds from sales of CP’s newly launched German smoked sausages, will be used to support three children to get their new legs at the Prosthesis Foundation in Chiang Mai and to upgrade the prosthetic service at Myanmar hospitals.

This initiative will be supportive of the charity work carried out by the Prosthesis Foundation of Thailand under auspices of H.R.H the Princess Mother and Princess MahaChakriSirindhornwhich provided free prosthetic service to 134 Myanmar patients in October 2012. CP also provided free food service to the patients and their families as part of its commitment to CSR in Myanmar.

 

     This project, with some approved budget from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, is initiated as part of Thailand’s public diplomacy to bring Thai and Myanmar peoples closer, as well as to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Myanmar and Thailand diplomatic relations.  At the initial stage, the project will support the upgrading of a hospital in Yangon with new equipment and training for the staff as well as the transfer of Thailand’s own prosthetic technology which is generally admitted as a global standard.  At later stages, it is planned to be extended to other large cities such as Mandalay.