Phuket Prepares To Hold Activities In Commemoration Of The 4th Anniversary Since The Tsunami.

[NBT TV Phuket]

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Phuket prepares to hold activities in commemoration of the 4th anniversary since the Tsunami.

In preparation for the 4th year anniversary in memory of the Tsunami, Phuket Vice Governor Smith Palawatwichai on Tuesday held a meeting with government officials and local government leaders. This year’s event will be held at a public park in front of Patong beach. Major events will comprise religious ceremonies in the morning, wreath laying and a ritual ceremony will follow at Mai Khao Wall of Remembrance. The ‘Light up Phuket’ event will again be arranged at Patong beach in the evening. Following the tragic incident on December 26th 2004, the Thai government has designated the date as National Disaster Prevention Day. Exhibition and activities to raise public awareness for disasters will also be arranged.

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The author of a new book recalling the tsunami incident at Ko Phi Phi island gave a presentation at Satree Phuket School to help raise funds & awareness. Let’s find out more in this special report:

The Phuket release of a Book called ‘And Then One Morning’ by Aaron le Boutillier, was held on Friday 24th October at the Satree Phuket High School with the Tourist Police, family and friends. The ‘morning’ of the title refers to December 26, 2004. As that day dawned around the world, news stories followed a disaster that took hours to unfold as the tsunami raced across the vast Indian Ocean. For anyone caught up in the tsunami, however, it was all over in a matter of minutes. They were either alive or dead. Over a quarter of a million people lost their lives while millions who survived had to deal with the tragedy in countless ways. Aaron le Boutillier was one such survivor. Aaron was on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi where he had lived and worked through much of the nineties. Although settled in Singapore now, Aaron made regular visits to the island. ‘And Then One Morning’ encapsulates the expat life on the small tropical island and introduces the reader to the main characters who either survived or perished in the tsunami. Chief amongst these is the Oswald family. Heinz Oswald spent eighteen years developing a successful dive business on Phi Phi. Aaron visited Phi Phi that Christmas to help Heinz and his family move to Phuket on the afternoon of December 26. That move never happened. Hours after the tsunami, Aaron found Heinz’s wife and four year old son alive. There is relief and surprise as other characters are found alive. But for the next two weeks there is the trauma of the search for Heinz and his two daughters. ‘And Then One Morning’ captures Aaron’s growth from a care-free twenty-two year old into a successful business owner in Singapore by the time of the tsunami. Following the tsunami he took responsibility to help the survivors of the Oswald family as well as other friends from the island. Four years on there are still people suffering from the tsunami in a multitude of ways. Aaron has decided that the author royalties from the sale of his book should go to helping some of those still traumatised by the disaster & to support various foundations in the South of Thailand. Voice ****

Big Wave Publications pays him 12% royalties and it is these profits that he is using exclusively to help in various charities. He is hoping by Xmas 2008 that sales will be sufficient enough to post his first photos and testimonials of the funds handed over. During the Bangkok Book Launch he met Mr. Nattawat from the Satree Phuket High School. They kindly offered to host the Phuket book launch and Aaron donated 100% of the profits from the sale of the book that day to Satree School. After that he will use the 12% to support their orphanage. In 2009, he hopes to work with Mr Pong Chongchit from the Thailand Tsunami Education centre for Life.

Andaman News NBT (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, most weekdays & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews.com Send comments to [email protected]

[NBT TV Phuket]

VDO - News & Interviews about Tsunami Memorials on Andaman coast

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item---1-- Tsunami Memorials were held along the Andaman coast last Friday.

Families and survivors of the 2004 Tsunami on Friday morning gathered at Dolphin public park on Patong beach to attend a Buddhist religious ceremony in remembrance of people who perished on December 26th, four years ago. The Phuket Governor Preecha Rungjan led the participants in the prayer session and observed a one minute silence in respect of the victims. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva sent his messages to the people urging them to be aware and reduce risks plus learn to handle any possible future disasters as the Thai government designated December 26th as Thailand’s National Day for Disaster Prevention. A representative from the Dutch Embassy to Thailand, Mr Joris Geeven, was also present. He thanked the Thai government for arranging the commemorative event and expressed his confidence in Thailand’s early warning system. Some foreign participants who were survivors told their stories. On Kamala beach a religious ceremony was held at a public park with locals and visitors attending. They also offered alms to Buddhist monks. Nearby, at a Memorial stone which was built by the Japanese Association in Phuket, Japanese residents and tourists attended a religious ceremony for the victims. Twenty nine Japanese died in the incident in Phuket. Meanwhile this American resident of Kamala, came with a Thai friend who saved her daughter during the tsunami at Phi Phi Island. She liked the ceremony but felt the best lesson was to teach children how to handle future disasters: A Dutch tourist revealed this was her 1st visit since she got injured in the tsunami at Kamala but this year she was going to get married the next day on the beach to make a more positive memory in her life: Another remembrance site was at the Mai Khao Wall of Remembrance where a simple multi-faith remembrance ceremony was carried out. They comprised Buddhist, Islam and Christian elements. One minute of silence was also observed here. The Phuket Vice Governor Tri Akkaradecha also led participants to lay wreaths and flowers at the wall with national flags of 46 nations. The site was used as a Tsunami Victim Identification location after the crisis. In Phang-Nga, the remembrance was held at a site in Bang Niang of Thakuapa where the police patrol boat, TOR 813 is stationed after it was washed ashore by the forceful tidal wave. Thais and foreigners, mostly from Norway and Denmark, laid flowers in remembrance of the victims. This couple from Denmark said they revisited to attend the remembrance ceremony and will attend every year. It was similar for this 78 year old woman, who came to attend the ceremony early morning as she lost five family members. The horrifying scene was still clear in her memory, she said. At Bang Maruan Cemetery the police department also held a remembrance ceremony and observed one minute of silence in respect of the victims. Some 439 bodies are still unidentified after 4 years of the incident. At Ban Namkem Tsunami memorial park, the Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit led villagers to lay flowers in front of pictures of those who perished.

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VDO - Special report about Light Up Phuket & Phang-Nga Tsunami Memorials

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In the evening of December 26th a ‘Light Up Phuket’ event was held on Patong beach, as well as a similar event in Phang-Nga, in commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the Tsunami. Our reporter captured the atmosphere:

Residents and visitors, Thai and foreigners, on Friday evening gathered at the Loma or Dolphin public park on Patong beach to attend the Light Up Phuket event in commemoration of the 2004 Tsunami. The Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Pirom shared his condolences and support to the families and pointed out that the incident also reflected human kindness without boundaries of nationalities. After that the popular beach of Patong was lit up by thousands of candles which participants put in the sand, some with beautiful shapes, flowers and mementos. Some relatives and friends of victims also put up and decorated photos of their loved ones to pay their annual respects. The sky was also lit up with many flying lanterns, sent with wishes for the departed. Many foreigners attended the ceremony & light up on the beach to pay respects and remember, like this Norwegian resident who lost a Thai friend who used to work on the beach. He said he would come to remember her every year: Their Thai friend put up and decorated a place for pictures of her daughter who worked on the beach so that friends and foreign clients could remember her. This Australian tourist said they planned ahead to join in the ceremony to remember all victims as the incident affected many in the international community: It was similar for this group of German residents who felt emotional during the reflective atmosphere on the beach; one of them could only explain his emotions to us in German: Meanwhile in Phang-Nga province, north of Phuket, beside the washed up TOR 813 police boat site, 1,497 lanterns were released up to brighten the sky over Thakuapa. They also lit candles and observed one minute of silence in respect and remembrance of loved ones who departed. The Thai Minister of Education Jurin Laksanavisit attended the ceremony here. A group of Germans also joined in the multi-faith ceremony and candle lighting. They said they wished to remember their beloved ones and support each other: