Hundreds mourn tsunami dead

ANDAMAN SEA DISASTER THIRD ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIONS

Hundreds mourn tsunami dead

BANGKOK POST and AFP

Hundreds of mourning Thais and foreigners gathered at memorial sites in the six Andaman coastal provinces yesterday to commemorate almost 5,400 people killed in the disaster three years ago.

The religious ceremonies began in the early morning at Patong beach in Phuket, Bang Niang beach and Bang Maruan cemetery in Phangnga's Takua Pa district where people stood in silence and placed flowers at the sites in commemoration of their loved ones and others killed in the disaster.

The memorial event, joined by senior government officials and high-ranking staff from foreign embassies, continued through into the night when thousands of candles could be seen flickering along a two-kilometre stretch of Patong beach.

Similar events were also held in Ranong, Trang, Krabi, and Satun.

Lennart Linner, Sweden's ambassador to Thailand, said: ''I think we owe it to the Thai people ... to say thank you for all you did for us, for all the survivors, you often helped us before you helped your own people.

''We will continue to grieve for the people. However, their memory lives on,'' she told the crowd at the candlelight ceremony. Hundreds of Swedish citizens were killed in the Boxing Day disaster.

Klaus Flohr, a 63-year-old German who lost five of his friends in the catastrophe at Patong beach, said the calamity was still clear in his mind.

''I cry every time I think about the tsunami,'' said Mr Flohr, suffered a back injury that day.

Maria Schaden, 87, from Australia, said what she remembered about the disaster was the kindness of the Thai people who worked tirelessly in search and rescue operations.

''The generosity of Thai people has saved my life. I always want to revisit this country,'' she said.

Malee Lohawate, from Nakhon Sawan and her parents, placed a flower at the spot where the body of her younger brother, Jirayu Sornsurat, was found on Patong beach.

''We miss him a lot,'' Ms Malee said. Jirayu, a tourist policeman, was patrolling the beach when the killer waves struck.

Arunsri Kongrod, a 43-year-old beach masseuse at Patong, who lost five of her colleagues, said she had become paranoid about another tsunami.

''I'm now afraid to work on the beach because the tsunami might hit again, but I have no choice,'' she said. ''I don't think that the early warning system will save us because the siren isn't loud enough.''

The government has declared Dec 26 as National Disaster Prevention Day to increase public awareness on disaster preparedness and response.

Mental Health Department chief Somchai Chakrabhandu, said some tsunami-affected people were still suffering from post-traumatic stress caused by the tsunami.