On a mission to help Syrian refugees
Sittisak Wongkasorn’s call to fellow Thais to help Syrian refugees has been greeted by an overwhelming response
When it comes to humanitarian work, television journalist Sittisak Wongkasorn has never allowed religion, race or other outside factors to determine who he helps. During the past five years, the Bangkok-born Thai Muslim has spearheaded a number of campaigns to support relief efforts for Syrian refugees. He has also visited refugees residing in camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Syria’s internal problems were first brought to his attention when he began working for Yatteem TV, an Islamic cable channel supported by Satthachon Foundation for Education and Orphans. It was while searching for foreign news coverage of the Middle East that he stumbled on distressing news coverage of Syria’s armed conflict back when the world knew little of what was transpiring in the country.
As half of the cable channel’s coverage is dedicated to keeping local and international viewers up to date about social issues, in particular the plight of orphans, he began airing little-seen news footage of Syrian refugees living in squalid conditions. He also added information for viewers who were interested to donate support for relief efforts, including the Satthachon Foundation, which has been around for years.
Sittisak recalled how televising updates of the Syrian crisis for the first time half-a-decade ago encouraged viewers to donate approximately 5 million baht. It was an overwhelming response that enabled him to bring relief supplies
“About the time donations were pouring in, I was introduced to a well-respected Thai Muslim of Syrian ancestry. He told me that his family had migrated to Thailand because of repression. In fact, he said internal strife has been transpiring in Syria for decades. The world didn’t know about it because back then the numbers of refugees were few in comparison to today.
“So it was this man, whose name needs to be kept anonymous to protect his identity, who opened the opportunity for me to visit bordering towns between Turkey and Syria, bringing in relief supplies to the Syrians for the first time five years ago. What hasn’t changed since my first visit to the refugee camps is their need for clothing — especially in winter — medicine and firewood.”
Sittisak was especially glad to be given the opportunity to bring urgent relief supplies to asylum seekers who were not able to apply for refugee status because their documents were not in order. This usually was because most of their documents were destroyed while they were fleeing their homes. These families were in worse shape than their counterparts who had local relief agencies to look after them.
Sittisak was enthusiastic about the prospects of helping the very people whose news footage tugged at the heart strings of viewers to donate to their cause — and since charity projects specifically aimed at victims of war and conflict in the Middle East aren’t common in Thailand.
His two decades-long volunteer work with Thai orphans around the country played a pivotal role in what was soon to transpire.
“My experience with overseeing projects where we distributed basic necessities for Thai-Muslim orphans pretty much gave me a head start on arranging relief efforts for refugees. My trip to Turkey was my first encounter with helping refugees abroad, so I was a total novice. I was basically doing everything myself with support from a few locals,” said Sittisak.
“The proper way of doing things would be to connect with a local relief agency. However, I managed to assist a number of needy people by speaking with the imam of the mosques close to the camps. Eventually, I did stumble upon IHH, a Turkish humanitarian relief foundation, who back then were the main local agency looking after Syrian refugees. They were shocked to see that I was not connected with any relief agency, and was there to help in any way I could. Many refugees didn’t know where Thailand is on the map. They became teary-eyed when they knew that the people of a country that they didn’t even know had sent donations to help them.”
Sittisak made it a point to put the Thai flag on all the relief supplies which was handed out to them.
“I was not there as a Muslim, but rather as a Thai,” he said. “The 5 million baht donations came not just from Muslim donors but also people from other faiths, as our channel is viewed by an international audience. Flying halfway across the world was never just about helping Muslims, but rather anyone who was in distress.”
Humanitarian relief work for this Thai has not only meant providing food, clothing and medication for refugees, he recalls how he was able to apportion part of the donations to cover the medical expenses of a young Syrian refugee who was waiting to have his leg amputated.
Before agreeing to cover the operation expenses, Sittisak asked him what he would do if his leg was spared. The patient, who was probably in his late 20s, replied that he would go back to look after his elderly mother. “When I saw that he was still young and had the capacity to work further, I informed the doctors that I would pay the bill.
“The young man was in tears, grateful for getting a new lease in life. When he asked how he could repay me for this kind deed, I told him to pray for each person who donated for their cause.”
Sittisak confessed that each time he visits Syrian refugees he feels the need to work doubly hard to show the outside world the atrocities they are facing.
“Babies in the camps I visited had such course skin because they have not taken a bath for weeks. Some babies had a dirty long fingernails, while others wept uncontrollably. Five and six-year-olds showed signs of depression and emotional problems. One of the worst sights that still haunts me was the time I witnessed a family kill their pet cat because they weren’t able to find food, their village was under siege.”
Sittisak notes that we live in a volatile world, anything can trigger conflict that forces people to flee their country, making it all the more pivotal to have a generous heart when it comes to helping people in genuine need.
“Today we have channels to support Syrian refugees. If you don’t have money, you can share their plight on social media, which in turn can touch the hearts of others to help. All I ask is for everyone to ask themselves, ‘How can I help?’.
“We have to stop thinking only about ourselves. As humans, it is our responsibility to help other humans in need. We would probably want the same if we found ourselves in their shoes. I do believe that once we start putting other peoples needs before ours that we can eventually experience peace.
“We cannot expect international relief agencies to always be there. Middle Eastern countries are doing their best to help, however, we have to all pitch in because the situation on hand is a mammoth one. The needs are much more than what is being reported and meets the eye. One such case is how patients are being operated on without anaesthesia. Yes, it has reached this point, there is not enough to go around.”
Patients are being operated on without anaesthesia. Yes, it has reached this point, there is not enough to go around