Northern Thailand
Heartfelt Plea from 10 Year-Old Girls Brings Help from Governor in Phitsanulok
10 year-old Siriporn Suthinphueak and her younger brother wash the dishes at their house.
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PHITSANULOK – A 10-year-old student’s letter describing her family’s poverty and fear their ramshackle home would fall down in a strong wind has touched the governor’s heart, and help is forthcoming.
Siriporn Suthinphueak, a student of Prathom 5 in Wat Mahavanaram School in tambon Hua Ror of Muang district, addressed her handwritten plea to governor Supachai Iamsuwant.
She has two younger brothers, aged 8 and 4 years, and they live mostly with her mother, a dish washer who earns 250 baht a day. Her father is usually away from home working elsewhere. Her mother gets home late and she and her siblings are often left alone in their rickety house.
“My home is not strong. I am afraid the roof will be blown away and rainwater will come in. I am also afraid that my house will fall down. It is an old house built by my grandfather on a low lying area, so it is often flooded,” Siriporn wrote.
The girl said although her family was poor, she had never stolen anything. When she found some money she had asked a teacher to announce it, so the owner would get it back.
“Although my family doesn’t have money, I will carry on doing good deeds. I would like to ask the governor to help repair my house,” she concluded.
Provincial officials view the run-down family house on Monday.
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The governor was moved by her letter. On Monday he instructed officials from the provincial Social Development and Human Security office to verify the details and provide financial assistance. Hua Ror Municipality has been asked to help with repairs to the house.
Siriporn’s mother, Krongkaew Suthinphuek, confirmed the family was very poor as she had only her daily wage. She had used poles to prop up the house as she was worried it would fall down.
Her children had on occasions fallen through the decaying wooden floor of the elevated Thai style house. They did not have the money to repair it, she said.
The girl’s teacher at Wat Mahavanaram school, Jessada Saengchan, agreed Siriporn was an honest student and tried hard, even though her family was very poor and living in a run-down house.
Article and Photo’s by Chinnawat Singha
