CHIANG RAI – Consulate General of Japan in Chiang Rai province Shinya Aoiki ceremoniously handed over an earthquake-resistant school building, able to withstand earthquakes up to 7.0 on the Richter Scale.
Chiang Rai Governor Prachon Pradsakul attended the ceremony to receive the building from the Japanese Consulate General in Mae Lao district. The building, valued at 7.428 million baht, is a joint effort in infrastructure and human security that was funded by Japan.
On May 5, 2014, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the junction of Mae Lao and Phan districts resulted in several schools in the area, suffering severe damage. The Consulate General of Japan conducted a survey of the damaged areas and consulted with the Office of Vocational Education Primary Region 2 to support the construction of an earthquake-resistant school building to replace Ban Dong Mada School, one of the most damaged of all school buildings.
Ban Dong Mada School consists of 145 students from kindergarten to grade six, most of whom are orphans, are from impoverished families, or are stateless children. More than half of all students are from indigenous tribes, such as the Akha or Hmong.
