Kin gather for tsunami memorial
Survivors and families of victims who were killed by the 2004 tsunami yesterday gathered for commemoration ceremonies to remember the tragedy that left an estimated 5,400 people dead and 2,800 missing in Thailand 12 years ago.
The tsunami was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and hit coastal communities across the Indian Ocean.
In Thailand, the deadly wave hit the six Andaman coastal provinces of Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Satun and Trang on Dec 26, 2004.
On the anniversary of the tragedy, survivors and relatives of the tsunami victims yesterday travelled to the sites of the disaster to lay flowers in tribute to loved ones, particularly at Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park in Phangnga’s Takua Pa district, Ban Mai Khao Cemetery in Phuket and a marlin sculpture field which is a landmark of Phi Phi Island in Krabi.
At Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park, merit-making ceremonies performed in Buddhist, Islamic and Christian religions were held for the tsunami victims.
During the ceremonies, oblations were offered to spirits of the victims in front of their photos.
Mourners also laid flowers at a wall of the memorial park.
White roses were placed in front of a photo of Khun Poom Jensen, the son of Princess Ubolratana, who was killed in the Khao Lak area of the district.
In Phuket’s Thalang district, wreaths were also laid at Ban Mai Khao Cemetery in tribute to citizens from 45 countries who were killed in the tragedy.
A candle-light ceremony was also held at Patong beach in Kathu district to pay tribute to the victims yesterday evening.
At Ao Nang on Phi Phi island, where over 700 people were killed and 500 went missing, more than 500 people attended a ceremony to make merit for the victims and observed a minute’s silence.
Divers also placed stainless wreaths, given by mourners, at an underwater tsunami cemetery at Ao Ton Sai, three kilometres offshore.
Sommai Janthin, a Phi Phi island villager who lost relatives in the tsunami, said the tragic event was still vivid in his memory.
He said after the tragedy, a tsunami shelter was built with signboards showing the way to the shelter. However, the signboards have been damaged and some entrances to the shelter have been blocked by the owners of private properties.
The Krabi Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office is seeking a budget to repair the signboards.
BANDA ACEH: Thousands of Indonesians prayed for their loved ones at mosques and mass graves yesterday to mark a tsunami which devastated Aceh province 12 years ago, one of the worst natural disasters in human history.
Some 170,000 lives were lost in the country when a 9.1-magnitude “megathrust” quake struck Aceh, a predominantly Muslim province in the northern tip of Sumatra island, bringing about massive waves that also hit coastal areas as far away as Somalia.
“I came here every year to pray for my children, daughter-in-law, and their three children,” Maryam, who goes by one name, said, at the Ulee Lheue mass grave, where 14,800 people were buried.
The bodies of her family were never found but 65-year-old Maryam, who survived by holding on to a tree trunk as the deadly tide swirled around her, is certain her family were buried in the mass grave because they lived in the vicinity at the time of the tsunami.
Graves across the province, including in Siron in Aceh Besar district where more than 46,000 were buried, were crowded with people who scattered flowers on the earth where they believe the remains of their loved ones lie to rest.
Survivors gathered at a mass prayer in Ulee Lheue mosque, one of the few sea-front mosques still standing after the tsunami.
“The main reason to commemorate the earthquake and tsunami disaster was not to open old wounds,” acting Aceh governor Soedarmo told mourners gathered at the mosque ceremony.
The annual tsunami commemoration comes just weeks after a 6.5-magnitude quake struck inland in Pidie Jaya, another district in Aceh, killing more than 100 people.