The Japanese embassy and a Japanese company have donated PM2.5 face masks worth 2.4 million baht to the Education Ministry, its deputy minister Kanokwan Wilawan said yesterday.
She said the ministry received the masks recently from Oba Yuichi, the charge d'affaires at the embassy and Yochiki Mori, managing director of Iris Oyama (Thailand).
Japan and Thailand have retained informal links for over 600 years and this year marks 135 years since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Both nations have enjoyed cooperation in many areas and the Japanese government has played a key role in promoting education in Thailand through several educational programmes.
They include the Thai-Japanese teacher exchange project, the Thai Kosen Institute, which aims to develop quality engineering courses employing Japanese standards, as well as scholarships for students, teachers and civil servants.
The mask donation was meant to heighten goodwill expressed not only by the Japanese government but its private sector.
The donated masks will be distributed to students, teachers and educational staff to safeguard their health, said Ms Kanokwan.
Mr Yuichi thanked the Thai government for implementing effective measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and secure vaccines for people.