Thailand invites tsunami survivors and victims' relatives to Boxing Day commemoration

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promises free flights and hotel accommodation

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Thailand is inviting the foreign survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami and the immediate family members of those who perished to take part in the memorial ceremonies organised in Thailand on December 26th. Thailand will bear the cost of the guests' flights and hotel accommodation.
      Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced the anniversary plans on Tuesday while on a visit to Khao Lak, one of the worst-hit areas of last Boxing Day's disaster.
      "We will invite the immediate families of those who died or were injured and will pay for their air fare and accommodation, so that they can see we are ready to welcome tourists again," the news agency AFP quoted Thaksin Shinawatra.
     
By Tuesday, the Finnish authorities had not yet received any official information on the matter, and both the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior declined to comment for now.
      The Finnish Embassy in Thailand received a confirmation from the Thai Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday that the information communicated by AFP was correct.
      At this stage, the embassy did not yet have any specific information on how the relatives of the victims were to proceed in order to secure their travel sponsored by the Thai government.
      The Thai Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, which is the country's closest representation to Finland, could not yet specify on Tuesday afternoon what the Prime Minister's speech meant in practice.
      "We will issue a statement as soon as we have received some official information on the subject", promised Secretary of State Risto Volanen from the Finnish Prime Minister's Office.
     
The Prime Minister's Office will handle Finland's official participation in the tsunami memorial celebrations in Thailand in December. The preparations are still completely unfinished, and at this stage it is not known, for example, who will be in Finland's official delegation.
      According to Volanen, unlike the rest of the Nordic Countries, the Finnish government has already previously decided not to sponsor the tsunami survivors' or the victims' families' trips to Thailand.
      Something like that is simply not part of the Finnish mentality, the authorities argue. Also, the survivors or the relatives of those who died have not requested a government-paid visit to the scene of the disaster.
      According to Volanen, the Thai officials, however, have contacted the Finnish government in regard to arrangements for the commemoration. For example, they have asked for ideas on erecting a monument.
      As far as the monument is concerned, Finland works in cooperation with the rest of the Nordic Countries, Volanen explains. The Nordic group will soon present Thailand with their wishes of what kind of cenotaph they hope for.
     
On Boxing Day, December 26th 2004, an exceptionally strong earthquake took place undersea in Indonesia, northwest of the island of Sumatra.
      A rapid shift in the faultline between the India and Burma continental plates caused a powerful tsunami, which, in a matter of hours, travelled thousands of kilometres across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal regions in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Somalia. The disaster affected 13 countries in all.
      The earthquake lasted for eight minutes, but caused immense devastation. Over 300,000 people lost their lives. Among them were 178 Finnish holidaymakers, a great many of whom perished in the popular holiday resort of Khao Lak. The bodies of all but fourteen have now been identified and returned home for burial.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Most bodies of Finnish tsunami victims returned to Finland (1.9.2005)

Links:
  Asia Earthquake, Tsunami Information Resource

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