December 27th, 2007, 13:10
Bangkok Post
"Hundreds of mourning Thais and foreigners gathered at memorial sites in the six Andaman coastal provinces yesterday to commemorate almost 5,400 people killed in the disaster three years ago.
The religious ceremonies began in the early morning at Patong beach in Phuket, Bang Niang beach and Bang Maruan cemetery in Phangnga's Takua Pa district where people stood in silence and placed flowers at the sites in commemoration of their loved ones and others killed in the disaster.
The memorial event, joined by senior government officials and high-ranking staff from foreign embassies, continued through into the night when thousands of candles could be seen flickering along a two-kilometre stretch of Patong beach.
Similar events were also held in Ranong, Trang, Krabi, and Satun.
Lennart Linner, Sweden's ambassador to Thailand, said: ''I think we owe it to the Thai people ... to say thank you for all you did for us, for all the survivors, you often helped us before you helped your own people.
''We will continue to grieve for the people. However, their memory lives on,'' she told the crowd at the candlelight ceremony. Hundreds of Swedish citizens were killed in the Boxing Day disaster....."
Full article
http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/27Dec2007_news02.php
Whatever you may think about Taksin he certainly pulled out all the stops to make sure that everything possible was done as quickly as possible and expense was secondary. That with the extraordinary empathy and helpfulness of Thai people eased the pain for many after this major disaster.
"Hundreds of mourning Thais and foreigners gathered at memorial sites in the six Andaman coastal provinces yesterday to commemorate almost 5,400 people killed in the disaster three years ago.
The religious ceremonies began in the early morning at Patong beach in Phuket, Bang Niang beach and Bang Maruan cemetery in Phangnga's Takua Pa district where people stood in silence and placed flowers at the sites in commemoration of their loved ones and others killed in the disaster.
The memorial event, joined by senior government officials and high-ranking staff from foreign embassies, continued through into the night when thousands of candles could be seen flickering along a two-kilometre stretch of Patong beach.
Similar events were also held in Ranong, Trang, Krabi, and Satun.
Lennart Linner, Sweden's ambassador to Thailand, said: ''I think we owe it to the Thai people ... to say thank you for all you did for us, for all the survivors, you often helped us before you helped your own people.
''We will continue to grieve for the people. However, their memory lives on,'' she told the crowd at the candlelight ceremony. Hundreds of Swedish citizens were killed in the Boxing Day disaster....."
Full article
http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/27Dec2007_news02.php
Whatever you may think about Taksin he certainly pulled out all the stops to make sure that everything possible was done as quickly as possible and expense was secondary. That with the extraordinary empathy and helpfulness of Thai people eased the pain for many after this major disaster.