UPDATED 01:30 FRIDAY Police publish names of missing Finns; upwards of 260 now feared dead in Thailand

Flags to fly at half-mast from all public buildings on New Year's Day

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The number of Finnish citizens missing in the Asian tsunami catastrophe has increased still further, and there is now thought to be little hope that any more than a handful will be found alive.
      People in this country are steeling themselves for the thought that as many as 250 Finns could be among the dead, further swelling the already horrific figures of 125,000 victims being estimated by international aid organisations.
      On Thursday afternoon the Finnish Ministry of the Interior resolved to allow the publication of the names of those still unaccounted for, as a means of possibly assisting in the search for survivors.
     
The National Bureau of Investigation (Finland’s central criminal police authority) had by Thursday evening received a total of 263 notices of persons missing following the sea surges in the Indian Ocean earthquake zone. All but 30 of these, which arrived in the course of Thursday afternoon, have been posted on the police website and are listed in the attached article.
      The great majority of the missing persons were last seen in Southern Thailand, where around 2,500 Finns were believed to have been on holiday at the time of the disaster. The low-lying Khao Lak beach resort to the north of Phuket Island, which took the full force of the waves, also appears to be the last known whereabouts of many of those listed.
     
At a press conference held on Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen appealed to the media to ensure that the police list is employed solely for the purpose to which it is intended. He underlined the need for journalists to use common sense in any approaches to the relatives of those listed as missing.
      Vanhanen and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja also urged Finns to prepare themselves for the fact that it is likely that a large number of those currently posted as missing are in fact dead.
      "In the worst possible scenario we are looking at a situation in which all the names on the list have perished. Given the chaotic nature of the situation on the ground, however, we still have reason to hope that some may still be alive", said Tuomioja.
      Pentti Partanen, in charge of rescue services, also spoke at the press briefing, and he admitted that he was well aware that not all relatives wished to see the names of the missing being published in this way.
      "But the public interest and the utilisation of every last shred of resources we have in the rescue operation weighed in favour of this exceptional course of action", explained Partanen.
     
Thus far a total of 14 Finns have been reported as dead. Thai authorities have reported 13 Finnish citizens killed on Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast. A Finnish woman is also known to have died in Sri Lanka.
      Eye-witness accounts by Finnish tourists have nevertheless already indicated that the number of Finnish fatalities will be much higher than the official figures.
      The managing director of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District Lauri A. Laitinen stated at the press conference that in his view it will be difficult to find any further survivors from the affected areas of Southern Asia, given the length of time that has passed and the conditions on the site.
     
Amidst this gloom and despair, it is necessary to stress, however, that all hope has not been abandoned in the search for missing persons in Thailand, even if the authorities are preparing people for the worst. Teams are working around the clock in Phuket, Krabi, and Khao Lak in an effort to identify injured persons and also the bodies of those who may have died.
      On Saturday January 1st all public buildings in Finland will fly flags at half-mast throughout the day as a mark of respect to those who will not be returning from Thailand or other affected areas in the earthquake zone.
     

More on this subject:
 Authorities anticipate death-toll in Thailand could represent largest peacetime disaster involving Finns
 Police Lists of Missing Persons, 30.12.2004

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