UN Thailand :: Media Monitoring

Impact on Thailand

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   - Livelihood recovery
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     rehabilitation
   - Disaster preparedness

Six Months On

Challenges and achievements six months after the tsunami

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Media Monitoring

Sources: The Nation, MCOT, ThaisNews

26 July 2005:

Detection buoys needed now, PM says
Following the Sunday earthquake and warning of a possible tsunami by the Thai National Disaster Warning Centre, the Thai Prime Minister admitted that Thailand needs to speed up the installation of detection buoys in the Andaman Sea for an accurate warning system to detect the wave size of an approaching tsunami.

26 July 2005:

Cabinet approves 900 million baht for added tourism promotion
The Tourism Authority of Thailand sought 2.5 billion baht for combined marketing campaigns and facilities improvement at major tourist destinations. However, the Cabinet approved part of the request, 900 million baht, for Thailand tourism promotion in key potential markets including China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Tourist arrivals in the Andaman Sea region remains reduced at 24-30% of pre-tsunami arrivals in the comparable period last year.

26 July 2005:

Tsunami evacuation drill to be conducted at Praphas Beach in Ranong, 2000 people expected to take part
The drill is aimed at providing officials and volunteers with a better understanding of their parts in a situation, as well as making the public more alert. 2 forms of training have been assigned for the drill: the first involves training to address the problem at Command, involving administration and clerical works. The second involves training of real operation, using a simulated situation, where the civil and private sectors will provide assistance to the public.

27 July 2005

Phuket gets prepared for 1st year commemoration of the tsunami
The first year remembrance events will cover religious ceremonies, remembrance sites, as well as exhibitions and meetings of related issues. A candlelit ceremony on the beach and Tsunami sites tours were also proposed. The events are planned to be organized during the 23rd to 29th of December with Patong, Kamala beaches and Mai Khao site as main locations.

30 July 2005

UNDP gives B21m to beef up wave alert
The United Nations Development Programme's approval of the US$500,000 (21 million baht) project to improve the tsunami early-warning system will help Thailand to detect killer waves by early-2006. The funds were provided via the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre to assist the Thai government in establishing both the national and regional early warning systems.

31 July 2005

Students highlight tsunami victims' woes
Volunteer students who surveyed the needs of local residents, monitored their health, built houses and held recreation activities for children in six Andaman provinces submitted a report proposing that the government should sort out the housing and land-ownership status of tsunami victims and establish an organisation to support the volunteer student network.