Northern Thais send "khaolam" to Bangkok's flood victims

BANGKOK, November 14 (TNA) - People in Thailand's northern Nan Province have sent their traditional "khaolam", or glutinous rice roasted in bamboo tubes, and canned chilli paste to flood victims in Bangkok. Narin Lao-araya, chief of Nan's provincial administrative organization, said on Monday that local residents in several communities have prepared and sent their traditional "khaolam" in additional 12,000 bamboo tubes to flood victims at temporary shelters in Bangkok's western areas, or the Thonburi side, as requested by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Narin revealed that the new supply from Nan, the second of its kind, followed the first batch of the traditional "khaolam" in 10,000 bamboo tubes and ready-to-eat chilli paste in 10,000 cans the local residents sent to flood victims sheltered at the government's Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) in Bangkok's Don Mueang area, through Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Kitsana Seehalak, on November 5 which garnered favourable response from the affected people. According to the provincial administrative organization chief, people in Nan are proud of their tasty traditional "khaolam", made from mixed glutinous rice, other grains and a bit of salt roasted inside bamboo tubes, without coconut milk, which can, therefore, be kept for a long consumption period with its quality and food safety remaining intact. The provincial administrative organization's chief said that Nan's people have also sent a 12-seat flat-bottomed boat, 17 police officers and five mitigation volunteers to support flood relief operations in Bangkok, along with trucks to transport their "khaolam", as well as relief personnel provided by the provincial police station and Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna. (TNA)