Special - 2 Tsunami Memorial Sculptures Completed And Officially Opened

[NBT TV Phuket]

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from Special Report for Andaman News TV11 (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 Phuket City, both broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces, 8.30am Tuesday 25 July 2006 & www.Thaisnews.com { Our news text and mini-videos can be freely copied and posted on other websites, but please give credit to Andaman News TV11 Phuket}

One and a half years after the tsunami of December 26th 2004, 2 They are located in the small Muslim village of Kamala, Phuket and in Bang Niang in Phang Nga. The opening ceremony was held last Saturday 22nd July, presided over by Acting Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop.

He was accompanied by Director-General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Prof. Dr Apinan Poshyananda who had earlier announced in 2005 the Tsunami Sculpture Memorial project, entitled ‘Tourist Spots’, for three permanent sculptures installed at key tourist sites in tsunami affected provinces.

Also attending was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan who said tourism is an important source of income for many coastal communities, so new cultural attractions will inject new energy into these communities, and bring more visitors to their districts.

The 3 artists participating in the project were Louise Bourgeois of America for a sculpture in Phi Phi, Krabi, where it is still being constructed;

Lars Englund from Sweden for the vertical sculpture in Bang Niang, where several diplomats also attended;

and Udorn Jiraksa from Thailand for the impressive sculpture here in Kamala. The projects’ public areas around them were originally and partially opened during commemoration activities for the tsunami’s one year anniversary last December.

For these affected communities, the Tsunami caused tremendous damage. The tragic loss of life was compounded by the loss of employment and property, and by the enduring emotional trauma of the catastrophe. Both the government and the private sector have assisted, initiating short- and long-term reconstruction projects, whilst providing urgent help with accommodation, employment and environmental restoration. One of the main missions of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Culture Ministry (OCAC) was to revive and rehabilitate the mental condition of those affected by the Tsunami. Through the establishment of memorials for the disaster, the Tsunami Sculpture Memorial Project aims to restore and renovate key tourist sites in the affected areas, thereby increasing the income of local people.

A natural amenity is restored at each site, and installation of each work was designed and integrated with extensive landscaping.

After the opening speeches, a line up for photos with guests, and a tour down to the redeveloped beach, with new walkways and walls, where the DPM Suwat took photos himself, he told us he was pleased with the sculptures here and in Bang Niang, and the approval for the largest memorial to be built in Khao Lak Lamru National Park, to be called Mountains of Remembrance:

“We are glad to have this kind of sculpture memorial for tsunami in Phuket. We need to add more cultural performances in the area of tourism and today we have opening ceremony. Today we have another especially at Phang Nga Khao Lak. Last week the cabinet approved the budget about 600 million baht to construct the tsunami memorial. It will be the biggest memorial in the Andaman. We try to complete it in 2 years.”

He revealed that the government have not decided yet on any specific memorial events for the 2nd anniversary of the tsunami on 26 December 2006, in just 5 months time, but foresees many relatives coming to these sculptures and memorials in Phuket and Khao Lak to pay their respects to the victims:

“Yes I think it will reflect about the sentiment, moral of the people to the tsunami event. It will be one of the tourism places interested by tourists in Asia for tsunami. Many relatives will come back and we will use this place for gathering in the future.”

He tried to allay any fears about disruptive noisy or dirty construction in the natural National Park for the Mountains of Remembrance:

“We are you see in terms of tourism place, we have to create the concept of each area to conform to nature, to the atmosphere, to the environment. I think tourism in Khao Lak should be like the concept of eco-tourism, something like that, we try to have strict control in the construction code, to promote the area in eco-tourism.”

He was satisfied that Thailand’s Early Warning System is now working well and keeps people fully informed:

“Yes it works. Even last week when the tsunami came in Indonesia, we know the information and the people know about it. I think it works.”

The Kamala sculpture artist Udorn, who comes from Ranong, also on the Andaman coast, spoke in Thai to us about his creation called ‘Mind Universe’ which took 5 months to build by a team of 10 people, was made of stainless steel, cost 1.5m baht, and weighs 4,500 kilograms:

To quote some of his inscription on the sign under the sculpture: “Natural disaster is caused by a shift of nature to obtain equilibrium of the earth. Motions and forces of nature are inseparable. Its dynamism includes connecting, flowing and changing things ranging from atomic structure, physical chemistry, human behaviour to inner universe as a cycle of life linking everything to one.”

Two Australian tourists of European descent, who watched the opening ceremony, told us they like the park and Kamala after returning here 6 years after their first visit:

“Well it is a very fitting place for a terrible tragedy that occurred here. It’s a place where people can come and think of the terrible times they had to go through. Very pleased to see some of the old trees have survived. I suppose the houses are new but the people have really done the best haven’t they? Everything is the same lovely place we’ve seen 6 years ago. So we come to Kamala beach in the future every time we can manage we come here. This will be a place you can sit around and look at the memorial and it is really fitting one. It shows the terrible stuff the wave like that can cause. They must have worked on it very hard.”

His wife also likes the now peaceful atmosphere of Kamala:

“Yes we like the nature and very nice serenity and the people very friendly and all the development is very fitting – not too much – still going ahead. Very positive attitude is showing.”

[khall64au]

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