Local authorities in Nakhon Pathom province have seized more than 300 packages of food that a local woman had planned to hand out to hungry locals in the community.
The woman has posted on her Facebook profile that she planned to give away the food between 4.40 pm and 5 pm on April 20th. She attached photos of the food to the post.
She said that she wanted to help people who were struggling due to the current coronavirus situation and were left hungry from job losses and lack of income.
However, when the time came to distribute the food, officials came and seized all items. There were 250 bags of pork soup and 50 bags of rice taken by officials.
The officials told the woman that creating a situation where crowds would gather is breaking the rules of the emergency decree, perhaps something the woman should have been aware of following numerous other incidents of police breaking up gatherings created by handouts.
The local police informed the woman that the food would be distributed to people who lived in the local slums.
Later, the woman posted again on Facebook. This time she uploaded a teary video, saying:
“What hurts me the most is that the people who came to wait did not get to eat, but those sleeping in their homes got to eat.
I’m not saying that those waiting at home are wrong, but I feel sorry for the people who sat in the sun because they believed that a meal was coming their way.
I am sorry for not being able to fulfill my promise, it really was impossible to continue the giveaway. I know you were waiting for my soup, but I couldn’t give it to you.”
Since then, the story has been covered in various media outlets with the woman interviewed on national television and sharing all exposure on her Facebook page.
While the gesture was a sincere one, the woman should have known about the rules regarding the donation of food in public places following incidents in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. She also seems to be enjoying the media spotlight.
Source: CTN
