Commemoration Tsunami December 26, 2004
Today it is exactly 10 years ago that the world was hit by the largest natural disaster in history.
On the morning of December 26, 2004, the west coast of Indonesia was hit by a very strong earthquake. This caused a series of tidal waves that left a trail of destruction on many islands and on the coast of several countries in Asia, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. By the tsunami At least 220.000 people from 14 countries have been killed, including 26 Dutch people. Nearly 5.400 people have died in Thailand.
Thailand tsunami
In Thailand, the western coastal region of the country was mainly affected: the provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. The earthquake itself was felt as far away as Bangkok. Phang Nga province was the hardest hit at the time. More than 700 people have died in an area near the town of Khao Lak alone. Furthermore, the province of Phuket (especially the west coast of the island of Phuket with the popular holiday destination Patong), the island of Koh Phi Phi and the seaside resort of Ao Nang, the latter two in the province of Krabi, were also heavily affected.
Two days after the disaster, the Thai media reports 918 dead and many injured and about 1000 missing. At that time, 13 Dutch people were still missing on Phuket. On January 1, 2005, the death toll in Thailand was approximately 4500. In total, 5395 people died in Thailand.
Commemorations
Today there is a memorial on Phuket for the Dutch victims at Room Kamala 1 of the Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort. The Dutch ambassador to Thailand, Joan Boer, will lay a wreath there.
At 17.00:813 PM local time, there will be a major national memorial service at the “Police Boat TXNUMX” in Khao Lak, Phang Nga Province.
Sources: including Wikipedia
I think it is very right that the Netherlands also commemorates the victims of the 2004 tsunami by means of a wreath-laying by our ambassador.
It was a disaster to remember. I already lived in Pattaya and was able to help with collections of money and goods.
I couldn't do much more, but still when people talk about the tsunami, the horrible images of the disaster come to my mind..
Was also in Thailand at the time and delivered clothes and money together with my then girlfriend Sue. Couldn't imagine; I thought I would survive something like that, because after all I can swim. Until I saw the images on TV. You are swimming in that swirling mass and you are hit in front of a house.......unbelievable, you have to be a good swimmer to survive something like that. NOT SO!!
Gerrie, I once tried to swim against a current off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Had to give up because I couldn't argue with it and had a surfer help me and finally got out of the sea with a rescue helicopter. Remember, I'm a good swimmer!
The current of a tsunami is many times stronger than that of the ocean current in which I ended up. You have to be very lucky to survive it. The chances are very slim.
By the way, I was in Bangkok two weeks before the Tsunami (because of my work) and had two colleagues on board who went on holiday to Phuket. Later I was told that these two were a great example, because they were also there during the tsunami and helped many victims afterwards. Still nice to hear.
today we were at the commemoration of the tsunami on Koh Phi Phi at the Phi Phi Princess Hotel. A government delegation was present as well as a few camera crews. Very impressive. Although fortunately we did not lose any acquaintances in the disaster, it is the main goal of our trip to Koh Phi Phi. Five years ago we were just a few days late for the commemoration and then set the goal to be there 5 years later. In the past five years, Phi Phi has changed a lot and work is still being done to improve protection as far as possible on such an island. Gabions with petroglyphs will be placed near the pier to give a little more time to escape in case of a recurrence. However, it is striking that the signs with “Tsunami Evacuation Route” that were neatly there five years ago are already falling into disrepair. Also typically Thai, of course, and the question is whether anything will ever be done with it. In any case, strength from our side to everyone who has lost a known person in this terrible disaster.
The commemoration organized by the Dutch embassy in Phuket, Thailand, mainly had a "warm and human character", ambassador Joan Boer said after the meeting on Friday.
Some seventy to eighty Dutch people were gathered in a hotel in Phuket. “Most of them live and work nearby. They have experienced the disaster and the entire period after that, "says Boer.
According to him, the meeting was not only about suffering, but also about the efforts of people immediately after the tsunami. “Beautiful stories were told about people who immediately came to the rescue after the disaster. About people who did translation work, took people to hospital on mopeds and emptied their kitchens to accommodate bewildered tourists.”
Boer also attends the national commemoration in Thailand later in the day. It is much larger than the Dutch commemoration and will be attended by all ambassadors from 54 countries who lost people during the disaster. Dutch relatives will also be present at the commemoration, which will be broadcast live on TV.
Source: Nu.nl
Today it is 10 years ago that Thailand was hit by a Tsunami. It's my birthday on Christmas Day. Wanted to celebrate in Thailand, our plan was to visit the south. Luckily (in hindsight) I couldn't get any time off for Christmas that year. We then left for Thailand a week later. When we arrived in Thailand, the advice was: don't go south. We didn't do that year either. The first days we stayed in the Khao San Road (a street in Bangkok)
This street/area is known by, among other things, many backpack tourists. At the entrance to this street there were roadblocks, these were covered with A4 sheets with names/photos of thousands of missing persons. This made a huge impression on me. This disaster should not be forgotten. In total, more than 230.000 people died there. RIP
I hereby respond to the message/invitation from the Dutch embassy for the commemoration on December 26. We came to Thailand with our family on December 6 to commemorate our daughter who died on December 26, 2004 in Khao Lak. When we arrived in Thailand I called the embassy to ask if there would be a commemoration. The answer I got was:
We don't do anything about the commemoration." I then referred to an article in the Bankok Post about an official commemoration in Khao Lak. The operator told me to check with the hotel. Then the call was ended by hanging up the hook. Now we see that the invitation was posted by the embassy on December 10th. Our commemoration, for which we came especially, has fallen into the water. We were literally pushed into the last rii, so we could barely get anything from the event. We returned to our hotel early. It reminded us of our first phone call after the tsunami when we were in hospital in Phang Nga. There was one cell phone that allowed us to have a one-minute conversation. We chose the embassy. I then got a barely english speaking receptionist, then 'please wait' and that was it. A phone call to the family was then no longer possible.
Sad, especially when you notice on the 26th (and the days after) that victims of other countries are involved through their embassies.
That has been a rude and extremely incorrect course of action with very painful consequences. The commemoration was announced from 8 December on the embassy's website, the embassy's facebook and of course also here on TB.
See: http://thailand.nlambassade.org/nieuws/2014/12/uitnodiging-herdenking-tsunami.html
Possibly the operator took it very literally that they would not do anything at the post itself (contrary to previous messages, the embassy reported). Now things are done quickly, but you may want to share your sad telephone experience with the Dutch staff (e-mail, letter or again by telephone and try to get a Dutch person on the line), so that they can learn from it. Because this will obviously not have been the intention! Good luck and success.