Thai religious ceremonies mark fifth anniversary of Andaman tsunami

PHUKET, Dec 26 (TNA) -- International and Thai relatives of tsunami victims who lost their lives when the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami struck six Andaman coastal provinces in Thailand five years ago on Boxing Day on Saturday offered alms and attended religious ceremonies in remembrance of their loved ones.

Some 226,000 people in 13 countries, including over 5,000 people in Thailand, perished on that day, after a 9.3-magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Sumatra and then unleashed two devastating waves in Asia.

Amid a solemn and grief-filled atmosphere, relatives and friends of Thai and foreign victims offered alms to Buddhist monks at a park at Patong Beach in Phuket’s Kathu district.

At a cemetery in Phuket’s Thalang district, relatives of the diseased laid wreaths and stood before 46 foreign national flags in addition attending religious ceremonies.

More than 10,000 local residents, Thais from around the country and tourists from varied countries early in the day took part in a religious ceremony held at a tsunami monument in Ban Nam Khem village in nearby Phang Nga province. The village, along with Khao Lak Beach, was the country’s worst tsunami-hit areas.

Five years after, 398 bodies buried at a cemetery in Phang Nga remain unidentified, while 28 bodies which are now kept inside a container are still awaiting to be picked up by their relatives.

In nearby Krabi province, four religious ceremonies were held on Phi Phi Island as family and friends of the dead laid wreaths in remembrance of those who perished in the monstrous waves.

An evacuation drill was performed at a building which was officially opened Saturday. The building will be used as evacuation centre for people in the area in the event that a similar natural disaster occurs again in future.

Thai government agencies have warned that more natural disasters are expected in 2010. These disasters range from droughts to coastal and river bank erosion and they are likely to be triggered by global warming. (TNA)