Visitors returning from Talerh (Tarlay) and Mong Lane (Mainglin), Tachilek township, across Thailand’s Maesai, say homes constructed by the government for March 24 quake victims are sub-standard.
“They look nice outside, painted white inside and outside,” according to a Thai-born Shan woman. Each is about 5x7 meters, 3 rooms, 2 doors (one in front and the other in the back) and one window in each room. “However, the wooden planks (used for walls and floors) are thin and poor quality and I’m afraid it won’t be able to stand strong winds, let alone another earthquake.”
The visitor’s host was not complaining. “We’ll have to make do with what we get,” he said, “and carry out the improvements by and by.”
The 6.8 Richter scale quake was reported to have destroyed 9 government offices, 390 houses, 31 religious buildings and 11 schools. The death toll was estimated at 150-300.
Many others whose homes had totally collapsed were also given K 1.5 million ($1,875) in 3 installments, each K 500,000 ($625). Visitors were told by one of the victims that they had received only a little over K 200,000 for the first installment in cash, as the cost of construction material such as sand, cement and steel bars was added into it. “The officials told us we were expected to complete that roofing and the walls by ourselves before we could apply for the second installment.”
The host said as his home was on the public thoroughfare, it was expected by the officials to “look more decent”. Which led him to borrow money from friends and relatives, “because the K 200,000 ($250) will only buy me enough zinc sheets for the roofing, maybe not even that.”
A contractor had informed them at K 7.2 million ($9,000), “but that’s way beyond my capacity.”
The Chiangmai based Emergency Relief Network and Maesai-based Mettatham have together donated relief items worth B 633,181 ($21,000), two-thirds of them building materials such as zinc sheets and water pipes, according to Mettatham?s Montip Sirithaikhongchuen.
Saeng from Chiangmai added that the donated money has been used exclusively to buy relief items. “We have already made three trips,” she said. “Travel expenses for the first two were paid for by Chiangmai Shan Literary and Culture Society and the third trip by Tai Hope.”
Both say they are looking for more donations from well-wishers as the victims struggle hopefully for a good rice harvest at the end of the monsoons.
