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Hitachi Donates 20 Million Yen to Thai Universities to Assist in Flood Recovery (PDF Type, 29 kByte)

ฮิตาชิ มอบเงินบริจาค 20 ล้านเยน ร่วมกู้วิกฤติฟื้ นฟูภาคการศึกษาไทยหลัง นํ้าท่วม แก่สองมหาวิทยาลัยรัฐในประเทศไทย (PDF Type, 103 kByte)

Feb 17, 2012

Hitachi Donates 20 Million Yen to Thai Universities to Assist in Flood Recovery

— Kasetsart University and Thammasat University receive 10 million yen each to aid flood-affected students and restore educational facilities —

Bangkok, February 17, 2012 – Hitachi, Ltd. today announced its donation of financial support at a value of 20 million yen (approximately 256,000 U.S. dollars or 8 million Thai baht*) to aid the Thai educational sector affected by the disastrous 2011 floods. The monetary donation is to be passed on to the two most severely damaged government universities in Thailand – Kasetsart University in Bangkok and Thammasat University Rangsit Campus in the outskirts of the capital. The donation conferring ceremonies were conducted in the respective university campuses today.

* Exchange rate is 78 yen to 1 U.S. dollar and 2.5 yen to 1 Thai baht.

As a global company, the Hitachi Group strives to demonstrate good corporate citizenship in response to social needs and expectations, while endeavouring to enrich the quality of life and realise a better society. The Group promotes several social contribution activities by making optimal use of our knowledge and information technology in three key areas, namely education, the environment and social welfare.

One such example is the “Hitachi Young Leaders Initiatives” (HYLI). Since its inauguration in 1996, this regional programme aims to identify and groom potential Asian leaders by bringing them together to discuss regional issues and establish contacts with influential government officials, prominent business leaders, respected academics and NGO representatives. The 11th HYLI which was held earlier this year in Hanoi, Vietnam, was attended by two representatives each from Thammasat University and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

“In October 2011, Hitachi had announced the decision to aid the flood victims and assist in recovery efforts in the affected region with a total value of 30 million yen. Based on the good partnership fostered with several Thai universities through HYLI and in accordance with our commitment to resolving the basic social issues in the communities where we operate, Hitachi has decided to allocate 20 million yen from the original donation amount, to help in the relief and rebuilding efforts of these two flood-affected universities,” Mr. Osamu Ozutsumi, Executive General Manager, Corporate Brand & Communications Division, CSR Division, Hitachi, Ltd. said.

Mr. Preungboon Chakkaphak, Vice President for Internal Affairs, Kasetsart University said, “We are extremely grateful and delighted to receive monetary support from Hitachi. The flood has immensely affected our university’s facilities, as well as our students’ livelihood. In order to achieve the maximum benefit from Hitachi’s donation, Kasetsart University’s Rehabilitation of Flood-affected Area Committee will take the responsibility to allocate the funds into two parts. The first part will help fund the needs of around 4,000 flood-affected students, particularly those from the Faculty of Engineering; to help them regain their normal daily lives and support their families whose homes were affected by the flood. The second part will be used to repair our seriously damaged educational facilities within our Bangkok campus.”

Asst. Prof. Prinya Thewanaruemitkul, Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Thammasat University Rangsit Campus said, “Thammasat Rangsit was one of the sites most severely damaged by the flood last year. Despite the fact that most of our structural properties are insured, there are still many parts of the inundated facilities that are not covered by the insurance policy, especially books in our main library, our sport complex and the main stadium. We would like to thank Hitachi for their recognition of the importance of the education sector and we will use the funding from this 10 million yen donation to restore the libraries in Thammasat Rangsit campus accordingly.”

“Hitachi is pleased to be a part of the collective support to help Thailand, our good neighbour regain its wellbeing of economy, society and education after the disastrous flood. Our sympathy goes out to the individuals and families affected by the flooding and we sincerely hope for Thailand’s earliest possible recovery,” Mr. Ozutsumi added.

About Hitachi Asia Ltd.

Hitachi Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., established in Singapore in 1989, operates across six Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Business includes information systems, power and industrial systems, digital media systems, and international procurement. For more information about Hitachi Asia, please visit the website at https://www.hitachi.com.sg.

About Hitachi Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011) consolidated revenues totalled 9,315 billion yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.