SunbeltAsia

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=3913

Huge progress made in Patong cleanup

PATONG: Just five days after the tsunami hit Patong Beach, astonishing progress has been made with the clean-up of the resort town.

Tourists are back in the water or strolling along the sand, though the view is very different from the clutter that existed before the wave hit. With no beach chairs or umbrellas, one can now look along the entire three-kilometer stretch of sand.

A few boats dot the bright blue sea, now flat calm after the massive upheaval on December 26, and gone are the troublesome jet-skis and para-sailing speedboats.

It’s quieter, too, with no vendors selling soft drinks, no motorbikes, no rental cars and no tuk-tuks to disturb the town’s new-found peace. It’s almost as though the beach has been sent back in time to 20 years ago.

On the other side of the beach road, however, the damage from the tsunami is all too evident, with huge piles of rubble dotting the landscape.

Workers from Patong Municipality are working alongside employees of local businesses cleaning up the area around their workplaces.

Sadly, many of the trees that were such a feature of the beachfront, offering welcome shade from the sun, seem fated to die. Yellowing leaves carpet the brown grass as too much salt in the ground takes its toll.

Panu Maswongsa, Marketing Director of Patong Beach Resort and Vice-President of Marketing of the Phuket Tourist Association, told the Gazette that the occupancy rate of the resort before the tsunami was about 70%, but after the wave hit, all the guests were moved to others hotels. The resort will be closed for repairs and renovation.

“The water was about waist-deep and damaged guest rooms, the generator, the swimming pool and the air conditioning, so we will be closed somewhere between a month and three months.

“I believe the damage to Patong overall is about 30% – mostly the businesses next to the beach,” K. Panu added.

Some anger is being felt in Patong about the depiction of the town by the media. A member of a Marine Security unit sent by the US Embassy in Bangkok to help with the clean-up, echoed those feelings when he said he was not happy with media, especially TV, for showing only pictures of the damage.

“Many people have been helping to clean up Patong since the first day and many employees are back at work, but the television stations still show pictures of the damage. In fact, everything looks much better now. In Patong only the [beach] road and some hotels were damaged, but the beach looks so beautiful now.

“Why don’t they update their pictures?” he asked.

In Kamala, the area of Phuket probably worst hit by the wave, the beach is also mostly clean, but infrastructural damage is much more apparent, with the large bites taken out of the beach road by the tsunami.

The area behind is a scene of devastation. The wooden school vanished when the wave smashed its way across the main road and into the village beyond. The nearby wat was also severely damaged.

Soldiers, Kamala council workers and local people are all working hard to clear up the area.

Status of beaches, hotels & other facilities in Phuket, Krabi & Koh Lanta

http://www.image-asia.com/post_tsunami_hot...each_status.htm

Click here for up-to-date photo gallery of what Phuket is like today

http://www.image-asia.com/post_tsunami_photo_gallery.htm

This morning got the following e-mail...

While there is no diminishing the tragedy that has hit the whole Indian Ocean region following last Sunday's earthquake and Tsunami - and all at IMAGE asia offer their heartfelt condolences to everyone who has suffered - there is concern that international news agencies' reporting of the consequences is less than balanced.

The majority of hotels, beaches and tourist facilities in Phuket, Krabi and Koh Lanta are operating normally.

Yet, as always with media coverage of tragic events, images and words focus on the devastion, loss of life and damage.

Because of the disproportionately high number of foreign tourists in Phuket and other Thai holiday destinations compared with other affected countries, international media coverage has also been disproportionate to the extent of damage in Thailand compared with elsewhere.

All the time urgent and immediate relief efforts go on, international news services focus on the grisly aspects of the disaster. Reporters tell the world the story of devastation; cameras capture the rubble and the bodies. They tell of total destruction here - a gross distortion of the truth.

And while doing so, they destroy the livelihood of the survivors in the coming months. Thousands upon thousands of Thai nationals earn their living from tourism. Once the immediate impact is over, survivors face not only the grief of their losses, but many will face unemployment with no income to sustain their families.

Certain areas of Southern Thailand, such as Kao Lak and Phi Phi Island, were very badly affected, but it is increasingly clear that many parts of Phuket and Krabi provinces remain almost untouched - some areas completely unaffected! - and countless resorts are operating at, or near, normal levels.

Hard to believe too is that - while many small speedboats and local 'longtail' boats moored near or on beaches suffered loss and damage - not a single yacht was lost out of the many, many sailing yachts moored in marinas and bays around Phuket for the holiday season!

Many tourists who escaped injury or loss, and whose accommodation remains intact, have decided to stay on. As each day passes more and more can be seen swimming, sunbathing, dining out, drinking and making the most of the rest of their holiday. Much of Patong Beach's entertainment area was cleared and operating in time for their New Year's Eve celebrations.

Yet cancellations are on the horizon. Cancellations of the tourism income that local families desperately need to begin rebuilding their lives and their businesses. While it is understandable that some may prefer not to continue with their holiday plans in Thailand, on behalf of all those who derive their livelihood from tourism, we ask them to pause for thought...

..to take a look at the images we have posted on this website, check out the status of hotels and beaches here and on other sites before you make your decision.

The Thais have achieved well-deserved acclaim for their hospitality and the warmth of their welcome for visitors. In the present situation, that welcome will be especially warm and hospitable for those who decide to continue with their travel plans.

Please pass on this message to anyone you think may be interested in the 'other story'.

For photo library (from 26-31 Dec 2004) go to:

http://www.image-asia.com/post_tsunami_photo_gallery.htm

For beach & hotel status go to:

http://www.image-asia.com/post_tsunami_hot...each_status.htm

Some incredible photos. The pictures #13,#14 and #15 are the phenomenon with the bay exposed before the wave took place.

http://46664.ewikis.com/earthquake.html

Indonesia Needs Help, Death Toll Expected To Exceed 400,000

Thu Dec 30 2004 12:52:01 ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.

He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.

"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.

Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.

Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.

"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.

He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.

Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.

"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.

It would take years before the situation returned to normal, he said, adding that the Indonesian government was not able to estimate losses caused by the tragedy as yet.

He expressed his gratitude to Malaysia's help although the country itself was hit with 66 lives lost so far and property to the tune of millions of ringgit destroyed.

"We are deeply touched," he said.

Rusdihardjo said Indonesia was also seeking Malaysia's cooperation to mount search and rescue operations from its shores because of the close proximity of the two countries.

-- BERNAMA

Timeline of what has happen...

http://2bangkok.com/quakes.shtml#30

The first entry to now...

8:10am, December 26 - Earthquake felt in Bangkok. On the ninth-floor of a 13-floor building, we could distinctly feel the building sway with a circular motion for about four seconds. Hanging telephone cables also swayed. We looked out the window and it seems that people at ground level were not aware of the shaking. Updates to come.

Amateur recordings of the tsunami from camcorders

http://www.waxy.org/archive/2004/12/28/amateur_.shtml

http://jlgolson.blogspot.com/2004/12/tsunami-video.html

Hospitals: clothes, shoes, counseling:

Wachira Phuket Hospital and other hospitals say there is an urgent need for shoes, shorts and T-shirts, especially in sizes large enough for foreigners.

Shoes are the priority right now. Many of the Thais and foreigners who were hit by the wave lost their shoes, with the result that many have foot injuries from walking or running on broken glass and other sharp objects.

Stores in Phuket have given many pairs of shoes, but most of these are in sizes suitable only for smaller people.

Any footwear large enough for foreigners is welcome; even rubber flip-flops would be a great help.

Many people have lost all or most of their clothes and need T-shirts or shorts to get by for a few days.

Donations may be taken direct to any of the major hospitals: Wachira Phuket, Phuket International; Patong Hospital; Mission Hospital; Bangkok Phuket Hospital.

Many victims are still walking around in a daze and; some have lost love ones or do not know where they are. Any person with the time to go to the hospitals and help is asked to do so. In some cases just hearing a calm voice amid the confusion can help.

The couple added that they were overwhelmed by the hospitality of local Thais who gave them water, food, clothes, blankets and shelter. Civilian motorists also offered to take them to Bangkok free of charge.

“Such hospitality is unbelievable,” Arlette said, adding that a local man offered them help before he returned to look for his missing sister.

“This could never happen in another country.”

You hear comments like this over and over again with Westerners on CNN. Very high marks indeed for the Thais.

From the Bangkokpost..

Top firms launch relief aid projects

POST REPORTERS

Dozens of leading companies and organisations yesterday announced charity programmes to help ease the suffering in the southern provinces hit by Sunday's tidal waves.

Authorities said blood supplies, medical equipment, foodstuffs, drinking water and clothing were in particular demand.

Many companies yesterday quickly set up aid centres to gather donations. Local banks also announced special accounts to receive donations, while hospitals and Red Cross chapters put out notices calling for blood donations to ease shortages in the nation's blood banks.

Sirot Sawadpanish, head of the Revenue Department, said tax officials would offer full deductions for charity contributions for disaster relief under a special package being drafted by the Finance Ministry.

Mr Karun said big suppliers such as Saha Group have been told to use their logistics networks as effectively as possible to ensure that food and staple goods reach consumers in the affected areas quickly.

The Industry Ministry has asked construction material manufacturers to sell their products at cost for repair and reconstruction of houses, hotels, resorts, and other facilities which have been damaged by the tidal waves.

Thai Airways International is transporting doctors and nurses from Police General Hospital as well as medical equipment to Phuket. Yesterday it began free flights to Bangkok for those needing medical treatment and other affected people. Bodies of the deceased are also being transported free.

The national carrier also has flown members of its Fast (Family Assistance and Support Team) who are trained for emergencies, humanitarian assistance and speak multiple languages to assist passengers waiting for flights in Phuket.

THAI has established a help desk at the Don Muang domestic terminal, Tel 02-535-7670-3. It has also opened a relief centre at its head office to receive donations of consumer products and medical supplies, Tel 02-545-3181.

- Bangkok Airways has donated one million baht in cash through iTV, and is airlifting food and drinks from its Koh Samui base to Phuket and Krabi. It is also stationing a team of doctors and nurses from Bangkok Hospital at Don Muang airport and putting 25 ambulances on standby at the airport.

- The Charoen Pokphand Group has donated 10 million baht worth of food and bottled drinking water for the six affected provinces in addition to sending rescue teams. Both ready-to-eat meals and uncooked meat would be distributed by the group's affiliates in the six provinces.

- CP affiliate True Corporation, in addition to offering free calling through cellular unit Orange in affected areas, has donated one million baht and 50 mobile phones to the Rajprachasamasai Foundation. Also, two caravans will depart from Bangkok today with bottled drinking water, flashlights and other basic necessities.

- Siam Cement Plc is initially donating 10 million baht in relief funds through Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In addition, survival kits consisting of dried foods, bottled drinking water, medical items, clothes, bags and shoes worth about two million baht altogether will be distributed to the victims.

- Bangchak Petroleum is donating three million baht and 36,000 bottles of drinking water. For each litre of fuel sold from Dec 28 to mid-January, five satang would go to relief efforts. The total donation is expected at around three million baht.

- The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has approved one million baht in immediate assistance in addition to 700 survival kits, 40,000 bottles of drinking water and 1,000 T-shirts as well as transport equipment.

- Bangkok Hospital has sent 78 doctors, nurses, medical service workers and translators as well as medicine and medical equipment to Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket airport.

- The Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations has donated 10.5 million baht, while other capital market organisations plan additional fund-raising.

- Central Plaza Hotel Plc has donated 600,000 baht and 500 food packets along with drinking water. Central Pattana Plc and Central Retail Corporation have set up donation desks at all their shopping centres and stores at 42 locations.

- The Poh Teck Tung Foundation has donated 600 coffins. Foundation manager Vannida Chileekorn said a large almshouse was opened in Takua Pa district in Phangnga as a temporary command centre and kitchen capable of producing 10,000 meals a day. The foundation is giving 5,000 baht each to families of those killed.

Thanks Greg

You will be hearing from me soon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

E-mail from a friend..

Hi Greg,

Actually, I'm pretty impressed with the progress in Phuket over the past 48

hours.

The Thai military is here with their heavy equipment. International aid

groups are organized all over Phuket. The locals and expatirates have jumped

in to help out wherever they can help out.

The Thai gov't has rapidly risen to the occasion. Kata Beach (where I live)

is already almost clean. People are jogging, swimming and playing

volleyball. The fishermen are out fishing. The restaurants are packed.

People are shooting off fireworks and turning this into an event like

buddies who survived a war together.

The beach road in Patong is closed for repair. The rest of Patong is busy as

usual. My wife and I just returned from Patong.

The supply of food, water and electricity was never interrupted. Telephone's

are spotty because the systems are overloaded.

Many people are cancelling their vacation plans. Based on the news, I can't

say I blame them. Personally, I would have no hesitation coming here for a

vacation right now.

Tomorrow morning I'm going for a jog and a swim.

Enjoy your family and friends in the States. Looking forward to seeing you

back here.

This is an article written at the Sydney Morning Herald...

A tsunami, when it approaches, is silent. A brown mass of water billowing towards the bedroom where I and my partner, Robert, were sitting on the bed in Khao Lak, in Phang Nga province just north of Phuket in Thailand.

We were staying in a hotel on the beach called the Seaview Resort, where Swedish, German and Austrian families raced to the deckchairs on the sand each morning to roast themselves. It was Boxing Day.

It was just after 10.30am when Robert jumped off the bed and said quietly, "There's a tidal wave coming." I turned and saw a brown mass of water swallowing the self-contained bungalows near the sand. They dissolved like balsa wood.

I still didn't comprehend. I said "No" and then Robert repeated it. Then I asked, "Are we going to die?" as the wave hit the concrete building where we were staying on the third, and top, floor.

It sounded like an aeroplane taking off. A roaring that swelled and dipped, completely surrounding us.

The building under us began to wrench and creak. Glass was shattering, but we couldn't hear anything human. It was as if we were alone.

The water rose ankle-deep in our room and it seemed to be slowing, although the horrible thundering continued.

When we ran up to the roof we couldn't see the ocean, but the thundering had stopped. The wave was sucking back out again. Suddenly we heard car horns, people screaming "help" in Thai, German, Swedish, banging on walls, sobbing.

Robert scrambled to the top of the roof and saw that the ocean had moved. We were in it. But the water was 10 metres higher, brown and clogged with floating timber, cars upside down, houses in pieces.

A Japanese couple arrived, terrified, on the roof, also from the third floor. Robert called to a German couple, the wife half drowned and blue-lipped, gurgling water with every breath. The six of us waited together on the roof and the German man began to pray.

The water seemed to drop at midday. So we went back to our room, grabbed our passports, small backpacks and water bottles, put on our sneakers and made the decision. We weren't waiting here for the next wave. We had to get out, and fast.

We clambered down through our destroyed building over stacks of wood, glass and doors, electric wires, bathroom fittings - it was completely silent. We climbed over bodies in sarongs, swimming costumes and thongs crushed under the rubble.

The reception area was missing so we climbed down into deep water and carefully walked the 400 metres up to the main road.

We picked our way over cars, timber, bodies and roofs through a demolished building site, past people injured and screaming, giving them extra bottles of water that we had taken from our room.

On the other side, the main road was immaculate. A stall with exotic fruit was intact but the normally bustling roadside was almost empty.

We hurried up the mountain on automatic pilot to a half-built resort where people seemed to be heading. And then the waiting, and the stories, began. Parents without children, husbands without wives, children without parents, a blond two-year-old boy wandering around without anyone.

A few hours later rumours were spreading - India was hit, Sri Lanka was hit, we heard that Phuket had been razed.

There were also rumours of another tsunami. Tourists and Thais with energy left headed up the mountain for the night.

A small group of 17 tourists and 10 Thais camped out on palm leaves at the top of the mountain as the full moon rose. People had broken arms - some of them were in pain.

We waited the night, hoping that the next night we could come down. We heard that the streets were filled with bodies.

The next morning we picked our way halfway down the mountain and waited with the Thais, who gave us rice, bananas and bread.

Suddenly, at 1pm, people seemed to start moving down. Rumour had it there were no more tsunamis and we should get out while we could before diseases like cholera set in. We left on a local truck and found our way to Phuket Airport.

Our resort had about 250 tourists staying in it and perhaps 60 Thai staff. We had watched the tourists dance and eat and drink at the Christmas Eve party on the beach.

We don't think more than 20 people, tourists or Thai, in our hotel survived and that was on a beach crammed with seaside resorts like ours.

Gary.

Koh Samui and Pattaya have not been affected and may be a better choice right now.

I applaud Daniel and feel it is a great letter on the surface. However this was in the paper today that TAT is telling tourists to stay awayfor the next two weeks to month.

Tourists told to drop trips to affected beach sites

Published on December 28, 2004

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has advised incoming tourists with hotel reservations in tsunami-hit destinations to cancel their trips.

The message was aimed at visitors from Scandinavia, South Korea and Russia in particular, because they usually fly directly to Phuket and reserve hotels by the beach.

“The situation is chaotic as tourists with advance bookings for the disaster-hit destinations cannot get into the country,” said Pornsiri Manoharn, TAT deputy governor for international markets, adding that the notification would be in effect for two weeks to one month.

To assist tourists, the TAT and the Thai Hotels Association have prepared more than 1,200 rooms in Bangkok and Pattaya to accommodate foreign tourists who were injured or left without lodgings because of the damage to hotels by the series of tidal waves that hit the southern provinces on Sunday morning.

Thai Airways International, Nok Air, Orient Thai and Phuket Air will provide special flights

to transport the tourists from Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai to Bangkok.

“All expenses involved will be shouldered by the [tourism] ministry,” Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said after consulting Tourism Minister Sontaya Kunplome and TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan yesterday.

The Phuket Police Station is now serving as a tourism command centre.

Tourists can also contact special counters located at the airports in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Ranong and Hat Yai.

Suwat, Sonthaya and Juthamas flew to Phuket yesterday. They declined to disclose any estimates of the cost of the damage.

Prakit Chinamourphong, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the association would prepare about 1,000 rooms for those tourists evacuated from the many islands in the South.

Some hotels in Bangkok such as SC Park have allocated 40 free rooms for stranded overseas tourists.

Rama Garden is offering 75 per cent discounts off its normal rates through until Thursday. The rate includes breakfast.

Prakit said that at least 1,000 rooms were needed for tourists at the moment.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation

AMCHAM has been in touch with the U.S. Embassy regarding any assistance that AMCHAM and AMCHAM members can offer in helping with the disaster in the south.

The U.S. Embassy has informed us of the following:

The Thai Red Cross Nation Blood Centre is in urgent of need of blood. If you can donate blood please go to the Nation Blood Centre at 1871 Henry Dunant Road, Patumwan, Bangkok. Call 0 2256 4300 for more information and hours of operation.

The U.S. Embassy is also accepting donations of clothing for those tourists who were evacuated from the South that do not have their belongings. BASIC clothing required, i.e. T-Shirts, jeans, socks will be accepted at the U.S. Embassy.

AMCHAM will continue to be in contact with the U.S. Embassy and will inform members should there be any other assistance we can offer.

PHUKET - URGENT APPEAL

* * * CLOTHING, BLANKETS & TOILETRIES * * *

Dear Friends

I am sure that you have all seen the devastation in Phuket and nearby areas over the past few days. Many of those affected are now arriving in Bangkok with little more than the clothes they are wearing.

The BCCT is working very closely with staff of the British Embassy and British Club to provide assistance and support. There is now an immediate need for items of clothing (adult/children), blankets and toiletries. If you are able to donate any of these items either individually or via your companies please deliver them urgently to:-

The British Club

Silom Soi 18

Silom Road

The British Club is the main collection point for these items but there is also a need to develop a system to transport them to the airport. If any moving companies are able to help please contact the undersigned (on my mobile) as soon as possible.

Please note that your donations will go to anyone of any nationality affected by the tsunamis.

There is also an urgent need for hotel accommodation in Bangkok. The supply of free rooms offered by the TAT are dwindling rapidly such that dormitories at universities are now being used.

The British Club has also offered to look after anyone affected by providing food, drink, shelter, showering facilities, etc.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. I will endeavor to keep you updated as much as possible over the next few days.

Steve Sykes who is the Managing Director of Indo-Siam Group may be your man. www.thaistartup.com

Good luck!

On forming the company, Steves company or ours can help you. www.sunbeltasia.com