Tsunami 2004: Phuket rememebers victims with prayer

TSUNAMI
Phuket remembers victims with prayer
Salinee Prap and
Boonleun Promprathankul
The Nation

PHUKET: -- To mark the ninth anniversary of 2004 Asian tsunami, which affected Thailand's six Andaman provinces, the Tambon Mai Khao Administration Organisation on Thursday morning hosted interreligious rites in Phuket's Thalang district.

An evening remembrance for some 800 people who died in Phuket is taking place at Patong Beach.

Some 50 officials from local bodies, representatives of the US ConsulateGeneral in Phuket and relatives of those who were killed or went missing in the disaster attended the Buddhist, Islamic and Christian rites at the Tsunami Wall. They also laid wreaths at the wall, which was painted white and featured the names and flags of the 45 countries whose nationals died in the tsunami.

The evening event titled "Light Up Phuket" is taking place at Patong Beach's Loma Park and invites people to lay wreaths and light candles in remembrance of those who were lost in the disaster. Activities have also been organised to boost the morale of those suffered from the deadly waves, as well as lessons about how to protect oneself from such a disaster and the importance of early disaster warning. Students' paintings on the subject "9 years after the Tsunami and a step forwards" were also exhibited.

Ranong , where 151 people were killed on December 26, 2004, was quiet. The provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office didn't host a commemoration or religious rite at the tsunami monument at Prapas Beach in Suk Samran district as in previous years. Only some relatives of the dead went to lay wreaths at the monument.


-- The Nation 2013-12-26