Death and destruction? Let's hit the beach!

[SiamIAm]

Killer waves, then a day on the beach

By OLINKA KOSTER

31dec04

 

IT seems almost impossible.

 

Just days after the tidal wave disaster, one of the devastated beaches was returning to normal yesterday.

 

On Sunday, Patong Beach was hit by a wall of water that swept into Phuket, claiming at least 120 lives.

 

Parasols, chairs, and other beach paraphernalia were swept to the top of the tree-lined beach, dragging helpless holidaymakers with them. It was at this beach that six-month-old Melina Heppell, of Perth, disappeared from her father's arms when the huge wave struck.

 

For some tourists yesterday, however, the tragedy was becoming a memory, albeit a vivid one, as they made the most of the weather and topped up their tans.

 

Many in bathers and bikinis, some lounged on sunbeds and others took a dip in the water that had claimed so many lives a few days earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their fun in the sun came despite warnings that aftershocks could follow the disaster that is likely to have killed as many as 100,000.

 

As many Westerners waited for news of missing loved ones others arrived to take holidays as usual.

 

Engineer Paul Cunliffe, from Manchester, arrived on an almost empty flight from Malaysia. Gin and tonic in hand, Mr Cunliffe said he and two friends were booked into a beach-front hotel that had escaped serious damage, and had been assured of a "wonderful holiday".

 

"Our friends think we're mad. The only risk we face I think is if there's another quake. We love the place that much and we thought we would take the risk," he said.

 

Further south at Surin Beach, where 10 died, tourists also were out in force.

[Guest]

:: I Call that a Hard-Core-Tourist ::

[Torneyboy]

In our paper today there is a shot of tourists in deck chairs on patong beach.

[iono]

As they say life must go on, however just days after such a horrific tragedy doesn't seem appropriate. Hopefully they will see the light and volunteer to assist others ::

[cardinalblue]

I would expect there will be some type of status sheet informing the public the conditions of each beach and accomodations for that respective area.

 

This could vary greatly from beach to beach and area to area.

 

While it does seem calleous that people still function in a tourist role, in essence, they are indirectly contributing to the economic recovery for that area.

 

It is important for the people to come back (the sooner the better) and not completely disappear out of respect for the dead. This would even be more painful as many residents economic survival depend on those foreign/thai and tourist dollars.

 

The only negative would be is that people who have skills that could be used are not volunteering or incoming tourists get in the way of the recovery. But the latter could be manageable if done properly and discreetly..

 

It is very important that areas if functional and presentable be allowed to attract tourists asap. I think it is the better way to go and even more therapeutic for the resident survivors...

 

It would be nice to see a beach/area status report produced soon because it will be difficult enough to get tourists to come/return. I think the automatic reaction is to cancel one's plans when those plaans should be researched based on individual conditions and appropriateness...

 

Cardinalblue

[chilli13]

I really don't see why not?

Regular tourists best way to help as I see it is to put their money to those shops/restaurants/hotels/etc who needs it the most & porbably there's not much more they can do to help unless they fancy dragging incoming dead bodies up from the sea or capable of ID'ing already retrieved ones'.

That's reality I think & pretty much match what Fly responded as how we could all help?

 

Over here in Scandinavia though package tourists are incouraged or almost 'forced' to end their holiday early as to better help them with their missed & died lists ::

Actually if they choose to stay they'll have to arrange their own transport home as the agencies are out of operation in Phuket/krabi untill months ::

[sayjann]

there will always be insensitivity in any tragedy.

wether it is malicious,stupidity or just trying to block memories out no-one will ever know.

all people react differently in situations like this.

 

i have seen reports that Foreigners watched the waves coming in and the destruction and then carried on sunbathing and ordering drinks.

sounds a little callous at first glance,but what did they know at that stage?.

 

if i had been there i would have been up from dawn to dusk helping.

people know i love the Island and i have many friends in P4P/non P4P related businesses.

any of them who needed a hand would have had both of mine.

dead bodies hold no fear for me and i would have willingly waded out to sea to pull them ashore or dug in the rubble to get them out.

 

i still weep sometimes when i think of the tragedy.

chatting to my GF and she understood how i felt after the floods which hit the Phillipines a few Weeks ago.

she lost a friend and in a perverse kind of way these 2 disasters have bought us even more together as we understand each others grief.......

[unit731]

The tragedy may be insurmoutable in the minds of some of us frequent guests in the Kingdom of Thailand. The most recent scenes of tourists back on the beaches swimming and sunbathing may seem insensitive. But on the tellie, it was stated that the last thing the Thai government wants now is for tourists to not come/go to Thailand. These establishments and all associated with tourism need the tourists to come back and to assist in a small way to keep the Thai economy going.