Japan’s Consulate-General Gifts Earthquake-Resistant School

CHIANG RAI – Japan’s Consulate-General has handed over an earthquake-resistant building to a nursery-primary school in Mae Lao district that was severely damaged by a quake five years ago.

Hiroshi Matsumoto, Consul-General to Chiang Mai province, handed over the new four-classroom building to Surasak Benjapalaporn, head of Mae Lao kindergarten, Friday.

Built at a cost of 7.3 million baht, the steel structure was funded with a grant from the Japanese government. The school suffered major damage from a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on May 5, 2014.

The school was only two kilometers from the epicentre in Mae Lao, Chiang Rai.

Consul-General Matsumoto said the new school building is the first earthquake-resistant structure in Thailand.

There are currently 136 children in eight classes at Mae Lao kindergarten.

Most are from underprivileged families.