Sterilised mothers bereaved by killer waves want to have babies

TSUNAMI / THREE YEARS AFTER

Sterilised mothers bereaved by killer waves want to have babies

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Ban Nam Khem, Phangnga _ Living with her husband and son in a cosy house rebuilt after the tsunami struck the seaside village of Ban Nam Khem three years ago today, Lamyai Wongchian-yuen should be happy. But her life is far from blissful as she longs to have children to help ease her sadness over the loss of her two daughters in the disaster.

The 38-year-old housewife is not the only one in this tsunami-devastated village in Takua Pa district who longs to have a baby.

There has been a rising demand for operations to reverse sterilisation by tsunami-affected mothers at Ban Nam Khem now that housing and occupational rehabilitation processes are almost complete.

At least 30 women at Ban Nam Khem and many more in other devastated villages have asked local health officials to perform the operation and enable them to have children again.

''We need support from the state because we don't have enough money [for the reversal surgery],'' she said.

She and her husband felt insecure having only one son who might not be able to look after them and the family business.

Mrs Lamyai followed her doctor's suggestion that she be sterilised after delivering her third child in early 2004.

She was holding her two daughters, one aged two years and one six months, in her arms when the giant waves took them away.

However, the mothers' demands for a government-supported sterilisation reversal programme was turned down by local officials, who cited budget constraints and lack of government policy. Reversal surgery costs more than 50,000 baht.

Mrs Lamyai said she was now in despair because she was getting older, making it more difficult to have a baby.

Yupin Choteprapatra, an aid worker who works closely with a women's group in Ban Nam Khem, said the villagers' feelings should be taken seriously.

''We've found that in many cases, the mental health of bereaved mothers improved after having another baby,'' said Ms Yupin.

State-sponsored sterilisation would be a solution to depression among these women, not the distribution of stress relieving drugs, she said.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said money was not the problem.

The barrier was the low possibility of women having babies after sterilisation reversal due to age and unhealthy wombs.

Dr Mongkol suggested that bereaved families should consider other choices, such as adoption.

Ban Nam Khem community leader Maitree Chongkraichak said a number of villagers were still suffering from physical and mental problems caused by the 2004 tsunami.

A total of 661 people were confirmed killed and 765 others have not been seen again since the killer waves struck Ban Nam Khem, making it the hardest-hit village in the country.