Tsunami anniversary, December the 26th 2004 - Chiang Mai's tsunami of aid

Chiang Mai’s Tsunami of Aid – remembering the tragedy.

December the 26th 2004 was just another day here in Buddhist Thailand and in Chiang Mai most people awoke to a lazy Sunday while much of the Western world was enjoying ‘boxing day’. Little did we all realise just what was going on in the South.

Some people did notice faint tremblings in their apartment blocks. This happens fairly regularly as the city lies just a few hundred kilometres east of the Andaman/Burmese fault line that stretches into the northern reaches of Myanmar. In fact a great earthquake in the 16th century toppled the city’s famous Chedi Luang – thankfully there have been none since.

However, in this modern age of TV and mobile phones it wasn’t long before the shocking news of the tsunamis that devastated southern Thailand began reaching Chiang Mai – some 1700kms north of Phuket. Thai people are particularly benevolent towards each other in times of tragedy and their Buddhist principles make them naturally altruistic towards those in need. Within hours a co-ordinated campaign kicked into action. Those with a wide contact base began rallying support from all sectors of society – rich and poor.

One particularly swift and effective campaign was organised by SP Publishing, who are responsible for a number of local tourist magazines. Under the guidance of managing director Suparp Pluempreedee, the staff contacted each of their advertising clients with an appeal for clothing, food and money. The response was enormous; within 24 hours more than 100,000 baht was raised and several tonnes of emergency supplies collected. But credit for this belonged collectively to Chiang Mai. Well known local editor Pim Kemasingki of Chiang Mai Citylife magazine (the mouthpiece for the ex-pat community) rallied support from her readership in a show of support for her competitor, resulting in a substantial addition of aid.

The supplies were meticulously packaged into individual parcels and delivered to Thai Airways, who had kindly agreed to freight a mini container-full of aid to Phuket. In the meantime appeals went out for blood and hospitals found themselves overwhelmed by people hoping to do their bit. And still the aid donations came, until the collection point at SP Publishing had to start referring people to the City Hall.

Expats and locals pitched in to help

Some dropped everything and promptly flew down to the affected region to help out in any way possible, and to assist with distributing the ‘northern aid’. One local ex-pat abandoned his holiday on Koh Pha Ngan to go to Phuket and be a stretcher bearer, others helped in hospitals as translators. They returned with harrowing stories of the stench and horror of decomposed bodies. Others began trickling back with stories of survival. One got washed out to sea and spent a couple of hours in the ocean. Another narrowly escaped harm when his visiting brother decided, on a whim, to cancel a snorkelling trip that day. One girl, who had recently moved down to Phuket with all her savings to start a business in Patong returned with nothing but some borrowed clothes – she had lost everything.

And the fund raising still went on. Concerts were organised, gala evenings were sold out, humble people arrived in large numbers to donate to collections made throughout the city, and others worked tirelessly to collect money for various charities. A large New Year’s Eve countdown party in the city was cancelled and celebrations were mooted. Chiang Mai residents were not spared either, as local newspapers carried heartbreaking stories of local families affected.

Help for Phuket came in many forms

Chiang Mai itself depends heavily on tourism, so the people here understand just how far reaching the consequences are. But above all the Lanna people share a common compassion for their fellow people of Thailand and the general feeling of sadness remains for all those areas around the Indian Ocean rim which were affected.

Fortunately the tourist industry has bounced back and Phuket has recovered remarkably well – it’s already packed with tourists and is moving on. There are now warning systems in place and regular drills. Above all, the response of the Thai emergency care system was extremely competent and over the ensuing months the country proved to the world that they can competently deal with the aftermath of such disasters.

Phi phi island, which received more than its fair share of attention through all this was all but shut down for six months as Ton Sai village was entirely rebuilt. After the unchecked development that had spoilt the island, a fresh start wasn’t such a bad thing for this world beauty spot. But visitors this year will find themselves compelled to chip in with a bit of rebuilding effort rather than basking on the beach.

But not everyone has recovered. As the local papers run daily features of the lives affected by Asia’s worse natural catastrophe in modern memory, we continue to learn of the less fortunate. As we count down the days towards the first anniversary there are still communities whose woes are far from over . Khao lak, one of the worse affected areas, was so badly hit that less than 30 per cent of its resorts have managed to rebuild and open so far. Many small restaurant owners who had no insurance simply went out of business and continue to struggle.

And then there are the ‘forgotten’ – thousands of Burmese migrant workers, many of them unregistered, whose cheap labour was taken advantage of by callous developers, but they received no compensation. They were too afraid to come and identify bodies of loved ones for fear of repatriation, and were accused of looting in the aftermath. Others were rendered homeless after greedy landowners used the opportunity to bar them from returning to disputed land.

The consequences of the Tsunami have been far reaching. This December the 26th when we all stop to observe a minute’s silence the memories of the giant waves, the struggle of those involved, the grief, the clean up, the charity, the heart rendering stories of survival and the continuing threat of more tsunamis will stay with us all.

How you can help

Kids, hang out with clowning pandas, beautiful Bengal tigers and singing gibbons at Chiang Mai's lovely zoo more

Although a year has passed since the Tsunami devastated so many lives in Thailand and across Asia, many are still struggling to get back on their feet. Some are among the poorest inhabitants of this coastal region and efforts continue to restore their livelihoods, build houses for their families and help businesses get going again. You can still help, either by donating money to the following reputable charities we have checked out, or by personally chipping in and lending a hand for a day or two during your visit to Southern Thailand.

Family Care Foundation Continuing program to rebuild schools in the Pha Nga province, read about their ongoing efforts. http://www.familycare.org/getinvolved/tsunami_thailand.htm

Tsunami Volunteer Centre A Thai operated NGO that is working within the communities of Khao Lak to provide work, housing and resources for those affected by the Tsunami. Donate or volunteer. http://www.tsunamivolunteer.net/english/

Tsunami Relief Fund A Thai-international effort focusing on the rehabilitation of communities in Takuapa, a town north of Phuket that suffered the brunt of the waves and sustained the biggest loss. Donate to their children’s education fund. http://www.tsunamirelieffundthai.org/