May 2005 113th Issue

After The Tsunami ... continued

Being born of an inquisitive disposition, undoubtedly having been a cat in my previous life, what else can explain my desire to explore and live the Thai culture when I already had built up a viable PR business in colourful Camden Town , London , had a lovely north London flat and wonderful friends and family. But that was not enough, I had to see what life was like in the mysterious East. One step removed from loopy as some friends insisted, 15 years ago I moved alone half way across the globe to a small Thai fishing town called Hua-Hin. Not the Hua-Hin of today. So a 2 hour trip from Phuket town to the worst hit areas of Phangnga, Kao Lak and Ban Nam Khem to see for myself what the volunteers were doing, seemed a simple logistical exercise. I'd heard that many displaced Thais, especially the children living in the temporary housing camps were desperate for fresh fruit. Joining forces with a Canadian couple who occupied the room next to mine in Mr. T's guesthouse we set out for an eventful shopping expedition to the local market. First we bought all the soft cuddly toys in 3 shops then we moved to the fruit stalls to order 60 bunches of bananas and 40 kilos of oranges before ending up in the biscuit stall where 10 large tins of children's sweet biscuits were purchased and finally 50 packs of drinking water.

Early the next morning we loaded everything in Mr. T's minivan rented for a pittance and were haring along the northern route towards KaoLak when t h e minivan suddenly turned into a large mobile kettle engulfed in steam accompanied by a high pitch scream. Our driver explained the vehicle had only done the Airport route for the last 10 years – Thank you Mr. T - and wasn't up to the distance. For the next 20 minutes he frantically called the highway police who weren't interested in our plight, neither was the nearest police station and all his friends obviously felt the same way. We began a flailing arm routine at the roadside in an attempt to stop any car whooshing past, without success. The next day one of my Thai colleagues said he saw me but couldn't stop as he was late for a meeting; I reminded him of the now world renowned Thai hospitality and asked where his was?!

At last two oil smeared mechanics responded to our cheer leader antics, stopped their uniquely leggo constructed vehicle and took one look at our mutilated fanbelt saying that a trip back to the nearest town some 20 km down the road was the only solution. Not at all confident of their return we settled down to wait whilst attempting to keep the oranges from baking the bananas from overripening and the cream biscuits from melting. Meanwhile our breakfast waiter cum driver was further embarrassed by having to ask us to fund this little disaster until our return as he had no money on him. How Thai!! Shame, it was hardly his fault the ageing minivan hadn't been well maintained, his normal job was buttering slices of toast. Before too long the oily m echanics reappeared with a shiny new fanbelt which was fitted in no time and we were on our way. Our first stop was at a volunteer centre based at a nature resort half way up the steep winding KaoLak road. Initially it looked like a holiday camp with small groups of volunteers engrossed in separate projects - some were painting shelves, some making furniture, some loading large pieces of timber on an articulated truck.

Inside, the restaurant had become a computer room with rows of Thai and European couples working on the design and translation of websites that had been thrown together immediately after the Tsunami. These badly needed streamlining for use by family members searching for their missing loved ones. Our visit was to find out the current situation in the temporary housing camps and to establish which areas were the most needy. We were sent to a school in Ban Tamut which was just behind the Thai naval base some 2 km from the sea. The land was flat and now treeless exposing a sight of destruction which left our mouths open. The waves had come roaring through the naval base, across the road, knocked down the school wall, swept across the playing fields, pounded into rows of single storey class rooms and out the other side to crash against a copse of well established trees uprooting half of them. Not one classroom was left in tact. There remained a few walls with vast holes in them, window frames hanging in mid air, floors ripped up and ceilings punched out and sand everywhere.

One of the teachers pointed out a dirty mark some 7 feet high on an outside wall. ‘That was the height of the wave as it hit the buildings' he said. Looking at this devasation and destruction we all thought in unison ‘Thank heavens the Tsunami struck on a Sunday'. Had it hit on a weekday there would be far more grieving parents in the six provinces struck by the killer waves. We were told that the children were very fortunate, none had lost their parents and only one little girl had to be hospitalized for shock. We met a group of young Thai students from Bangkok who were staying at the school to give the children therapy in the form of games, songs, painting and other fun things, which they all seemed to be traveling in. We gave out half our oranges, bananas and cuddly toys to squeals of delight, said Goodbye and carried on to Ban Nam Khem some 20 km further on where we intended to visit a temporary housing camp in one of the worst hit areas. My Canadian friends didn't know it at the time but they would be returning to this school some two weeks later with a group of German builders from Pattaya to erect two vast air conditioned marquees for use as temporary classrooms.

Our journey to Ban Nam Khem told a tale of destruction almost all the way. Amazingly, nearly all the debris caused by the Tsunami had been cleared away by volunteers and the Thai army almost immediately after the waves hit. There remained shells of resorts standing two or three stories high silhouetted against the sky like horrible twisted skeletons perched ontop of steep cliffs. Rows of shophouses about 2 km from the sea with iron shutters bent at

distorted angles, side walls missing and some had back walls punched out. We gawked at the now famous Thai navy vessel slammed into the side of a hill some 2 km from the sea. And we marvelled at the small miracles of totally untouched buildings standing in the midst of all this devasation. How can they be explained?

As we stood and looked at this awfulness each of us thought of the poor people who would have been standing where we now were and had been swept away. The stillness, which pervaded the flattened area from the road down to the sea was quite eerie. No birds singing, no children playing, no people working – just total stillness. It brought to mind a record my Father used to love to play at Sunday lunchtimes called the Whispering, Shimmering, Shifting Sands. It told of a lone man walking along a deserted beach with signs of past devastation and wondering what the sands would say if they could tell their tales. The beaches of Kao Lak could tell far worse tales.

After paying our respects to those poor souls who'd perished we drove on to the temporary housing camps erected for the villagers of Ban Nam Khem, one of the worst hit areas. I was immediately struck by the cleaniness of the place, no garbage, no smell of drains or dirty water the whole area had a very orderly feel to it. That was until we opened the back of the minibus when all pandemonium broke loose. Drinking water was in great demand as were the cuddly toys. I fought against giving everything to two men who purported to be the village leaders and said they would distribute our donations later. Instead, I insisted we walked to each room and gave personally to those in need. Even in this temporary housing camp the inherent Thai hierarchical structure had already established itself - the haves and have nots.

Some rooms had supplies of rice, noodles, sugar and water stacked to the ceiling with lino laid over concrete floors, several fans and cooking utensils, one even had an enormous Chinese wooden bench complete with dragon carvings on which a middle aged husband and wife sat dripping with gold. Did the money lenders live in these camps? Had they made their money since the Tsunami I wondered feeling quite repulsed?

Then there were the heart-rending sights such as a young girl in her early 20s with a little boy of about 8 years. She told me her son who was just 2 had been taken from her arms by the waves and with her eyes brimming with tears described him as a beautiful boy who was just beginning to talk and run about. I tried to comfort her and felt totally inadequate saying I was so sorry but hoped her eldest was of great comfort to her, only to be told he was her nephew and he'd lost both his parents. There was nothing I could say so I gave him the biggest, furriest bear I had and was so happy to see a little smile on his sad face as he hugged it close to him. I also saw a young man lying on the floor of his room alone. I asked a neighbor if he had any children who'd like a cuddly toy only to be told that his entire family had been taken by the Tsunami. These are the people who need the most help and counselling to give them the desire to carry on in what must seem like a cruel black world. I hoped some of the enthusiastic volunteers who'd been sent to the Kao Lak volunteer centre would be qualified to help or at least back up those who were.

Now after 4pm our driver was understandably hungry and wanted his lunch. But we had to rush back to Phuket Marina where a large volunteer group meeting was due to be held at 6pm Poor man, it wasn't his day but he did have great fun throwing cuddly toys to the children in a frantic game of catch. In her last article about her experiences after the Tsunami Verity describes a volatile volunteers' group meeting and working with both local and central Government officials.

ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP

Verity will be returning to Phuket in May to see how the sponsorship of the Tsunami orphans has helped ease their traumas.

Pease don't forget the sad Tsunami orphans who need your help. There are 95 school children in the Phuket area who are being cared for by their extended families placing a heavy financial burden them. Donations are 1.000 baht a month or 12.000 baht a year and you can choose the student you want to sponsor from the list I have from the Education Services Director.

Tel 032-516500 or 09-0283787 (not 09-0283789 as misprinted in the last issue of the Observer)

CLASSIC MOUNTAIN BIKE HELL

Ever since I'd heard about the ‘Hua Hin mountain bike classic' I was gripped by a strange urge to enter – God Knows why?

My biking experience was limited and INDEED had been halted some 6 years earlier by bad knees. Now living in Hua Hin the hot sun seemed to have eased the pain and I felt confident of riding again. With gusto I forged onward and purchased a shiny new Trek from those lovely people at ‘Pro bike' The very next day I hit the tarmac like a man possessed. The next few weeks nearly killed me and I began to question my sanity but over the next six weeks I slowly built up my stamina and covered over 1200kms. Was I ready?

I called in to the bike shop to fill out my application form, now there was no going back.

The morning of the race was upon me before I knew it. I feasted heartily on bananas and muesli, showered and slipped into my recently purchased ‘Hua Hin bike club jersey'

Dear god I looked like a pregnant water buffalo, had I the gall to inflict such a hideous sight to the general public!

Having cycled from Sport Villa I arrived at the army base where the race was being held.

I was immediately aghast at the dazzling array of cycle hardware, everywhere sleek young Thais cut through the air, nipples and ribs protruding from lycra tops.

I breathed in trying to conceal my finely honed ten singha's a night beer gut, but to no avail.

I was entered into the 40-44 age group which only had twenty two entrants. Could I achieve a placing?

By the time the 10.30 start time approached I had already consumed 2 liters of water. Not a good sign for things to come. Urged on by my friends I gingerly approached the start line trying my best to keep my beer belly off the cross bar. The flag fell and we were off, or rather the other twenty one were, by the second bend all my class had passed me. I would never see them again for the entire race.

I eventually came to the first downhill and nearly shat myself, dear god how on earth! I dismounted and ran down only to be confronted by a photographer who promptly snapped me pushing my bike. That won't look good I muttered under my breath. By the time I had reached the 4km mark I was being passed at an alarming rate. I felt ashamed and moved over to let them pass feigning a sore knee. By know the sun was at its zenith, I could have powered a small welsh mining village with the heat my body was generating. My 2 liter water supply was dwindling fast.

Some of the drops and climbs were hellish to say the least and I witnessed several very nasty spills. By 8kms I was all but finished, I had no water left and my legs had turned to jelly. I suddenly realized that 2 laps of 20kms each were out of the question. I would be lucky to finish one.

At 10kms I was in serious trouble, my head was spinning and I was considering bailing out.

I was now passing and being passed by the same people who like me were on their last legs, they were to become my constant companions as we leapfrogged around the circuit. I must have looked in some distress as they and several others often enquired if I was ok.

At 11kms I hit my first water stop. I would have promised the man that handed me that bottle of water anything he desired. A new car, my first born, even the keys to my London house, anything. I drank it so fast I nearly drowned. Still more hills and drops will it ever end!

The water stops began to get more frequent, I would drink one and pour one over my head. My whole body was covered in a mixture of sweat, mud and blood. My bladder was also giving me serious grief but I could not for the life of me go to the toilet. I passed a fellow competitor lying by the side of the track unconscious being tended to by medics, a grim reminder of the sun's power.

At 15k I was rolling down hills and staggering up them in a scene reminiscent of ‘Ice cold in Alex' how I was moving at all beggars belief.

I would push myself onward for a few yards only to seek out the shade of a large shrub or tree. Then I saw the radio mast on the base, it was my target but it never seemed to get any dammed closer! I was just contemplating setting up camp for the night when I hit the outskirts of the camp. Hit by an immediate burst of adrenaline I mounted my bike for the final drag to the finish. I crossed the line to a generous ripple of applause, I felt like I'd won even though I'd only completed the first lap. My race was over my body couldn't cope with anymore.

I was handed a medal for my efforts which I proudly hung around my neck. I hugged my girlfriend and shook hands with fellow competitors feeling a special bond had been forgeded between us, I felt 10ft tall.

I returned to Sport Villa showered and was in bed by 6.30 that evening totally wiped out. The next morning I opened my eyes and saw my medal hanging on the dresser. I began to remember the pain it had cost me. A smile covered my face. Would I do it again? In the words Sir Steven Redgrave “If you ever see me near a boat again you have permission to shoot me” But ask me again next year and who knows!

Dave Wilson.

Hua Hin Immigration Bureau to open

Immigration Bureau to Open in Hua Hin As a sign of the increasing importance of Hua Hin as a town, the Royal Thai Immigration Bureau will open an office in the new Police station in Damnoernkasem Road .

The office will be open on Mondays and Tuesdays during normal office hours, and can offer short term visas and extensions.

In Aid Of The Tsunami Disaster

Well it was the usual annual skydive in Prachuap Khiri Khan in March, except this year was different. Richard Sabin, Liz and Bia (Flamingo bar cashier) decided to skydive in order to raise funds for the Tsunami disaster.

All of us were rookies in terms of freefall but were confident that Terry Murphy is one of the best skydivers in the world and was to take us under his wing, to coin a phrase! In support morally was his wife Brid We all duly arrived in Prachuap Khiri Khan not really knowing what was in store. After an intensive briefing by Terry we were kitted out for the event. We were to go in tandem on individual dives with Terry.

Tandem involves being strapped to the front of Terry and he controls the dive. Bear in mind he's carrying 30 kgs of equipment on his back and 70 kgs plus with you strapped to him on the front. All in all when that chute opens it's bearing 200 kgs plus at a speed close to 200 miles an hour. Not only that, he will take the landing on his feet carrying you as a passenger!!

A giant C140 Hercules turns up and 150 divers embark. The plane then climbs to 3 miles and then the ramp at the back opens. Some divers take oxygen as the atmosphere at 3 miles up is thin. Certainly you feel a need to breathe deep. Half the divers then throw themselves out and freefall for 2 miles and then open their chutes to glide for the last mile to the target landing spot. The plane then climbs higher and the remainder jump. However, if you are going tandem then you are the last out and you suddenly feel very lonely. As you walk to the ramp feeling lonely and beginning to wonder why am I here you still have a chance to say no but many rarely do.

When you launch yourself out and freefall for 2 miles it seems an eternity. The noise of the wind as your velocity builds up is phenomenal and all Terry briefed you on seems to flash by. Below you is a blur of a planet and you're plummeting at an incredible speed. When the chute finally opens there is peace and tranquility and you have 5 minutes to appreciate the most spectacular views of Thailand from a mile up. Both Liz and Bia took it their stride. I was shaking like a leaf but my excuse is I knew a little of what was in store having done a parachute jump 20 years ago. Also I was going last and had to sit and watch all these people board and dive until 5pm. Liz even went back and did it again the next day!!

We have already raised some funds to aid the restoration of small businesses in Thailand 's Tsunami struck provinces. If you wish to make a contribution either contact me (Richard Sabin Tel 095 518561 or email richard@sabinonline.net Richard@sabinonline.net or contact the Observer) In conclusion!!! A brilliant experience and one I would recommend to anyone. If you're interested please contact me and I'll put you in touch with Terry. Without Terry and Brid, this would have not been possible. A big thanks to them both.

Incidentally we'll be doing it again next year God and Buddha willing. So come and join us

Richard Sabin

Asian news and current affairs

Thai seaside safer, but tourists stay away

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

PHUKET, Thailand - The unveiling of a tsunami warning system in Thailand has not attracted tourists back to the sandy playgrounds of Phuket or the nearby islands. Nor has the surge of new advertisements portraying Phuket as a beach resort that has regained its legendary beauty after the shores were cleaned of the December 26 tsunami's destructive trail.

According to The Nation, tourist arrivals at Phuket's airport during the first two months of this year hit a low of 48,000, as opposed to the 248,000 holidaymakers who flew in during the same period last year. The economic loss from the weak inflow of tourists in places such as Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi has been estimated at 43 billion baht (US$1.07 billion), according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

In an attempt to make the area more tourist friendly, a system that includes beachside loudspeakers is being unveiled by Patong's local government as part of a tsunami early-warning system. Were a tsunami to head toward the coast, the loudspeakers that were installed in mid-February would be activated to warn the public.

Now, aside from the pleasant sound of waves rolling off the Andaman Sea and crashing on the shore, tourists heading to the beaches of Patong on this popular resort island are being exposed to a steady flow of announcements in Thai from nearby loudspeakers.

In addition to the hum of passing cars and the burst of speeding motorcycles, holidaymakers have to take in such broadcasts between 10am and 2:30pm, times the Patong municipality has been assigned to run local news bulletins for the benefit of both locals and foreigners on the sweeping coast.

"We are broadcasting news because we want to give people good information," Chairat Sukkaban, Patong's deputy mayor, told reporters. "This will make the Thai people more relaxed."

To augment the loudspeakers, three separate towers with sirens that can reach up to 120 decibels each and can be heard up to two kilometers away are being installed to cover Patong's bay. The sirens will be part of a more sophisticated network connected to Thailand 's National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC), currently being set up in Nonthaburi, on the northern outskirts of Bangkok .

"There will be no person in Phuket to turn the switch [for the sirens] on. It is fully automated," said Pat Neely, an expatriate from the United States helping to coordinate the early-warning system. "These sirens are used elsewhere for disasters like floods and chemical spills and for tornado warnings in the US ."

According to Chairat, the network of sirens and loudspeakers has placed Patong ahead of other beaches along Thailand 's Andaman coast in terms of tsunami preparedness.

"This [warning network] is the first on Phuket and will be ready by April 15," the deputy mayor told Inter Press Service. "Other places will get it later."

The NDWC intends to set up 50 sirens in the six provinces along Thailand 's southwestern coast, Smith Dharmasaroja, the center's chairman, told a seminar early this month. The center's early-warning system plan also includes directions for people in the six provinces to follow if an evacuation is ordered and a new environmental and zoning system to make areas "safer and more tourist friendly", according to a report in The Nation, an English-language daily.

Close to 5,400 people, about half of them tourists, were killed by the tsunami that struck Thailand 's six southern provinces along the Andaman coast on December 26. Aside from Phuket, the other provinces affected were Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Satun and Trang.

The pain from the dramatic drop in the number of tourists is severe, particularly for women such as Dam, who earns money giving massages on Patong beach. "After the tsunami there is nobody here, or maybe one or two people wanting massages a week," said Dam.

Before the December tsunami, she had four to five customers a day, a number that had kept marginally rising or falling during the 18 years she plied her skill in the art of Thai massage.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank had women like Dam in mind when it revealed in a report released in early April that 24,000 more Thais will join the ranks of the country's poor due to the affect of the tsunami on the economy.

Tourists should start thinking about the people who survived, for they need these tourists back in order to rebuild their lives, Wichit Na-Ranong, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, told reporters.

"There should be no feeling of guilt to have a holiday here now that 100 days have passed since the tsunami," Wichit stressed. The tsunami early-warning system being put in place near beaches like Patong is another reason for tourists to return, he added. "It is more safe now."

(Inter Press Service)

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