Seventeen years on: Tourism officials and public remember the Asian Tsunami with candlelight vigil

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

Tourism officials led by minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan, TAT representatives and the administrations of Phuket and Phangnga gathered at Patong Beach on Sunday to mark 17 years since the devastating Asian Tsunami.

 

Both Phuket and Phangnga were among the most hit areas in South East Asia in the catastrophic event that claimed almost a quarter of a million lives and thousands of Thais and foreigners in Thailand. 

 

Thousands were Scandinavians in what was described as the worst peacetime disaster for Sweden.

 

Candles were lit on the beach with Daily News picturing foreigners in Phuket joining in the act of remembrance.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

The event was part of activities to promote tourism confidence in the area and included displays of surf skate, tattoo painting and street music.

 

The event was particularly poignant for 77 year old Yuang who lost her brother Arom Kungkaew in the tsunami. 

 

He was at the Patong Beach Hotel and was found dead three days later.

 

She wanted to forget the incident to allow her brother's soul to rest in peace. 

 

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[jvs]

I remember that day well,all of a sudden a lot of people around me received phone calls from

overseas.

The news outside of Thailand was already going around before the Thai news carried it.

It was a terrible disaster and not only in Thailand.

I know some Thai people who lost family there and some that were there when it happened never went back.

How soon people forget,two days later tourists were back sunbathing on the beach while corpses

were floating in the sea.

 

[LivinginKata]

I remember that day also. Was a normal day in Kata, we drove down Patak Road about 09.15 then saw all the traffic and people panic exit from beach areas. I will never forget the sights I witnessed that day and for the next week clear up.  

[beechbum]

Woke up with a massive hangover totally oblivious to what had happened, soon found out when I got on the scooter to go for a swim, horrible time.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The event was part of activities to promote tourism confidence in the area and included displays of surf skate, tattoo painting and street music.

I wonder if it included a "whip-round" to bring the early warning system up to scratch?

[Tropicalevo]

Sadly, Thailand is not prepared should this happen again.

 

"Public disaster experts admitted today (Sunday) that the Thai public is generally unaware of the danger posed by a repeat of a devastating tsunami, like that which struck many countries in Southeast Asia and around the Indian ocean, including the west coast of southern Thailand 17 years ago, and that there is a lack of a credible tsunami early warning system."

 

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

[Stargeezr]

Some people think that Thailand is not prepared for another Tsunami, but there signs 

all over the place, and most people know better than to go toward the Ocean if the water goes out.

  I know a lot of people who will not stay near the ocean anymore, unless they can be in a high rise hotel.

   It has been 17 years, so if there are some buoys that do not work, well I think the sirens  still do work.

  I had a Thai family member drive me around and show me some of the signs of how far the water came in land, and some

of the places where things like boats and such were left where they stopped, as well as water marks

and debris areas. This event is something I will not forget.

     

  

[bobandyson]

19 minutes ago, Stargeezr said:

Some people think that Thailand is not prepared for another Tsunami, but there signs 

all over the place,. . . . . . . . . . . .

This documentary covers the 'Evacuation Routes' in case of another tsunami at the 19:00 minute mark.

I've not travelled extensively around Phuket to confirm whether these signs are still in place or not.

The documentary is only a few years old.

 

 

[beechbum]

5 hours ago, bobandyson said:

This documentary covers the 'Evacuation Routes' in case of another tsunami at the 19:00 minute mark.

I've not travelled extensively around Phuket to confirm whether these signs are still in place or not.

The documentary is only a few years old.

 

 

There's new tsunami signs and road markings everywhere now.