The initial objective of this 2004 tsunami disaster site was to provide information on aid and relief efforts to which we experienced great success through the help of volunteers and the media. We have since shifted the site's focus to cover the post-tsunami aspect of the disaster as many of these tsunami affected countries are great holiday destinations where revenue from tourism and shopping are just as vital to their full recovery.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Teen returns home to find family among quake dead
MALALAK, Indonesia (CNN) -- Septiani Lenianingsih stands off to the side, away from the crowds that have gathered to watch the backhoe at work.
The land the machine is plowing through was once the village of Malalak, but it's now a mass grave.
Septiani, 18, watches silently, speaking only in whispers to her uncle who is helping direct the search for bodies swallowed up in the massive landslide triggered by Sumatra's earthquake last week.
She was at her boarding school when it all happened, she tells us. She learned from the news that her village was damaged and tried frantically to get in touch with her family over the phone. No one had the heart to tell her her family was dead.
When she arrived at the site where her home once stood in Malalak, there were no younger brothers and sister running out to greet her. All that was left in place of her home was dirt.
She was left orphaned, alone. Her young face reflects the intense sorrow she is still getting used to.
The first ever tsunami prediction to come true - Padang Indonesia
The Padang earthquake and tsunami was predicted by scientists back in 2005 but did the Indonesian government do anything? Prevention is impossible, but risk mitigating measures could have been implemented, were there any?
News as reported 4 years back on Wednesday, 7 December 2005, 22:32 GMT
News Report: Scientist voice tsunami concern. By Jonathan Amos BBC News science reporter, San Francisco A US scientist studying the islands off southern Sumatra says it is very clear the region can expect more big quakes and tsunami in the coming decades.
Prof Kerry Sieh is using a GPS network to monitor land movements close to the great fault line that ruptured to produce last December's disaster.
His work indicates there is still huge strain bound up in the fault, and that this could let go in the near future.
He believes the cities of Padang and Bengkulu may be at greatest risk.
"The time is now to start mitigating for such an event," said Kerry Sieh, who is attached to the California Institute of Technology's Tectonics Observatory.
"I don't know with certainty that it's going to happen but our team is telling people on the coast that they have to expect that this will happen in the lifetime of their children."
Indonesia 7.6 Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Alert, Panic in Padang
A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck off the city of Padang on the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning and witness reports of house damage and fires.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.The tsunami alert was canceled after no significant waves were generated.
The quake was felt around the region, with some high-rise buildings in the city state of Singapore, 275 miles to the northeast, evacuating their staff.
“A number of hotels in Padang have been destroyed,” Indonesian geophysics and meteorology agency tsunami warning head Rahmat Triyono said.
“Up to now we haven’t been able to reach Padang, communications have been cut,” Triyono said.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Local news channel Metro TV reported fires amid the wreckage in Padang, a city of 900,000, where panicked residents had run onto the streets as the quake hit. It also reported that the building of the Institute of Health Sciences in Padang collapsed in the quake.
“Hundreds of houses have been damaged along the road. There are some fires, bridges are cut and there is extreme panic here maybe because water pipes are broken and there is flooding in the streets,” said a Reuters witness in the city.
“We have received reports that many house have been destroyed in West Sumatra,” Gagah Prakoso, spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency said by phone in Jakarta. “We have deployed teams of rescuers from nearby branches to the location. We are still waiting for more detailed information.”
Large buildings had come down in the earthquake, AFP reported.
The tremor was also felt in Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra. Hasibuan, a local, told Metro TV that house roofs were shaken strongly. People panicked and ran out of their homes and some people were still out in the street, too scared to go back inside, he said.
In Jambi, residents also felt the quake and evacuated homes and offices.
The head of Jambi’s Geophysics, Climatology and Meteorology Office, Remus L. Tobing, said he did not think the quake had tsunami potential.
Neneng, a resident in Pekanbaru, Riau, told the Jakarta Globe that she felt the quake very strongly.
“I saw the electrical wires shake and the window panes were making noises, the tremor was strong for about two minutes. I ran out of the house and all my neighbors were outside too,” she said.
There was no damage, but Neneng and her neighbors waited for half an hour before they returned to their houses.
Indonesia is situated in a belt of intense seismic activity known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
Padang, the capital of Indonesia’s West Sumatra province, sits on one of the world’s most active fault lines where the Indo-Australia plate grinds against the Eurasia plate to create regular earth tremors and sometimes quakes.
Geologists have long said Padang may one day be destroyed by a huge earthquake because of its location.
“Padang sits right in front of the area with the greatest potential for an 8.9 magnitude earthquake,” said Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, a geologist at the Indonesian Science Institute, in February.
“The entire city could drown” in a tsunami triggered by such a quake, he warned.
Several earthquake-prone parts of the country hold tsunami practice drills, and the national disaster service sends alerts via telephone text messages to subscribers.
But some experts have long said Indonesia needs to do more to reduce the risk of catastrophe.
Padang needed to invest in better infrastructure, including more roads and other escape routes, said Hugh Goyder, a consultant for the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, earlier in the year.
“The road goes parallel to the coast, which means it’s difficult in some areas to get away from the coast,” Goyder said, adding that in one part of the city, the only escape route is a narrow bridge.
A 9.15 magnitude quake, with its epicenter roughly 600 km northwest of Padang, caused the 2004 tsunami which killed 232,000 people in Indonesia’s Aceh province, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and other countries across the Indian Ocean.
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Six people were killed in Indonesia after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday, officials said.
The quake was initially categorized as magnitude 7.4 before being downgraded to 7.0 by geological officials.
No details were immediately available about the deaths. At least 18 other people were injured around the capital, Jakarta, said Rustam Pakaya, a health ministry spokesman.
A tsunami watch went into effect and quickly expired, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
It struck about 2:55 p.m. (3:55 a.m. ET) and was centered 242 km (150 miles) from Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was about 60 km (37.3 miles) deep.
In Tasikmalaya, a city in the Indonesian island of Java, some older buildings were damaged and people panicked in the streets because there was no electricity, according to a witness named Maya. Tasikmalaya is about 142 km (88 miles) from the epicenter. Several homes in that city were destroyed and a building collapsed, the health ministry spokesman said.
John Aglionby, a journalist with the Financial Times, was in Jakarta during the quake.
"The whole building started to sway. People got very serious," Aglionby told CNN. "People left the building. But there was no sign of damage here."
About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes - ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 - struck off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island.
At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed in Padang City in West Sumatra, officials said.
Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Ong San Soo Chee), Burma's pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, symbolises the struggle of Burma's people to be free. She has been detained for over 13 years by the Burmese regime for campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma. Recent developments
She is currently facing trial in Burma. She was on arrested on May 14th and is now being held in Insein Prison, a prison notorious for its terrible conditions and horrific treatment of prisoners. Aung San Suu Kyi is being tried for breaking the terms of her house arrest, which forbids visitors, after an American man, John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake and refused to leave her house. Her trial began on 18th May.
Aung San Suu Kyi has committed no crime, she is the victim of crime, yet is currently facing a sentence of 3-5 years. The United Nations has ruled that Aung San Suu Kyi's detention is illegal under international law, and also under Burmese law. The United Nations Security Council has also told the dictatorship that they must release Aung San Suu Kyi.
Political prisoners in Burma are routinely subjected to torture and often denied medical treatment. There are serious concerns for Aung San Suu Kyi's health in these conditions, particularly as she has recently been seriously ill. About Aung San Suu Kyi
She was born on June 19th, 1945 to Burma's independence hero, Aung San, who was assassinated when she was only two years old.
Aung San Suu Kyi was educated in Burma, India, and the United Kingdom. While studying at Oxford University, she met Michael Aris, a Tibet scholar who she married in 1972. They had two sons, Alexander and Kim. On March 27 1999, while Aung San Suu Kyi was in Burma, Michael Aris died of cancer in London. He had petitioned the Burmese authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi one last time, but they had rejected his request. He had not seen her since a Christmas visit in 1995. The government always urged Suu Kyi to join her family abroad, but she knew that she would not be allowed to return.
Aung San Suu Kyi had returned to Burma in 1988 to nurse her dying mother and was immediately plunged into the country's nationwide democracy uprising. Joining the newly-formed National League for Democracy (NLD), Suu Kyi gave numerous speeches calling for freedom and democracy. The military regime responded to the uprising with brute force, killing up to 5,000 demonstrators. Unable to maintain its grip on power, the regime was forced to call a general election in 1990.
As Aung San Suu Kyi began to campaign for the NLD, she and many others were detained by the regime. Despite being held under house arrest, the NLD went on to win a staggering 82% of the seats in parliament. The regime never recognized the results of the election.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been in and out of arrest ever since. She was held under house arrest from 1989-1995, and again from 2000-2002. She was again arrested in May 2003 after the Depayin massacre, during which up to 100 of her supporters were beaten to death by the regime's militia. Her phone line has been cut, her post is intercepted and National League for Democracy volunteers providing security at her compound were removed in December 2004.
She has won numerous international awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has called on people around the world to join the struggle for freedom in Burma, saying "Please use your liberty to promote ours".
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero, Gen. Aung San, who was assassinated when she was two years old, but she fell into politics almost by accident.
* Born in Yangon, formerly Rangoon, on June 19, 1945. * Earned degrees in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University in England. Married British academic Michael Aris in 1972 and has two children who live in Britain. * Rushed back to Burma, later renamed Myanmar, in 1988 to care for her ailing mother. Her trip coincided with mass demonstrations against military government that left thousands dead. She became rallying figure and helped found the National League for Democracy party. * Arrested in 1989 on charges of inciting unrest and kept under house arrest for the next six years. * Barred from running in elections called by the junta in May 1990. Her party won 392 of 495 seats in parliament, but military refused to honor the results, and she became symbol of Myanmar’s suppressed democracy. * Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. * Released from prison in 1995 but generals continued to arrest her supporters and prevent her from travelling outside the capital. * Her husband, who had cancer, was refused permission to visit her before he died in 1999. * Put under house arrest again in 2000, released unconditionally in 2002 and re-arrested in May 2003. Her current detention was due to expire May 27, 2009. * Arrested on May 14 and charged with violating her house arrest after uninvited American man swam to her home and stayed two days. * Convicted on Aug 11 of violating her house arrest and sentenced to three years in prison, which was reduced by junta chief to 18 months under house arrest.
KUALA LUMPUR: An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale occurred at 7.10am Monday in southern Sumatra, Indonesia, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
The epicentre of the quake was 134km southeast of Bengkulu in Sumatra and 723km southwest of Johor Baru, it said in a statement.
No tsunami warning has been issued, it added. -- Bernama
Shopping for watches in Penang? To quartz or not to quartz should be the first question instead.
TO QUARTZ OR NOT TO QUARTZ
A potential wristwatch collector should know that wristwatches sold nowadays are powered either by a mechanical movement or a battery. The former is referred to as a "mechanical watch" (with either an automatic or manual winding mechanism) and the latter is simply called "a quartz". There is a class of watches powered by "kinetic energy" and they will be discussed later.
Mechanical wristwatches made an appearance in the late 1700s and Queen Elizabeth I was known to wear one decorated with precious jewels. By 1928 mechanical wristwatches were outselling pocket watches.
Of course, all early wristwatches had a mechanical movement but a dramatic change occurred in 1957 when Hamilton (an American watch company) replaced the mainspring of the watch with a battery that lasted well over a year. in 1960, Bulova (another American company) made its Accutron model with an exclusive tuning fork system that was powered by a battery. Nine years later, Seiko launched its first quartz watch, the Astron 35SQ which was claimed to be the most accurate watch in the world. Timex of England followed with their quartz model, the Electric. These examples show briefly the early development of quartz technology in watches.
The 1980s saw the Japanese flooding the world with cheap quartz watches and this marked the beginning of the quartz era. With quartz technology, wristwatches are much easier to make than mechanical watches and they could be mass produced on assembly lines. This made watchmaking cheap and profitable and many new companies (including unscrupulous ones with no experience in watchmaking) jumped on the time bandwagon.
The Swiss, whose name is synonymous with watchmaking, were too much bound by tradition to be able to accept quickly the concept of a battery powered watch, consisting of a mere electrical circuit and a mundane case assembled on impersonal production lines. To them the quartz was a pariah.
They were slow to react to the Japanese onslaught but they eventually came up with a savvy answer in the form of Swatch, which we will discuss in detail in a future article. Many famous Swiss watchmaking houses also started to include a line of quartz watches in their catalogues. Names like Rolex and Patek Philippe were the early ones to have quartz watches to offer their customers but there were still a few Swiss watchmakers who looked at quartz with disdain. The famous house of Blancpain advertised as follows. "Since 1735 there has never been a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be. Another established Swiss watchmaker, Oris, makes only mechanical watches and advertises this fact.
However, cheaper production methods created by advances in technology are hard to resist and of the 40.1 million watches exported from Switzerland in 1992, 87.8 per cent of them were quartz.
Therefore, what should the answer be to the intending watch collector? To quartz or not to quartz?
I have learnt not to be fond of those battery operated watches unless they are of the cheap variety like those made by Swatch. After all, quartz technology has enabled watchmakers to produce cheap quartz watches and some are sold for less than RM10 each.
If you intend to buy an expensive watch, you should opt for a mechanical watch consisting of traditional mechanical parts assembled by skilled craftsmen rather than a quartz with an innocuous circuit board, step motor, resonator and a battery of unknown parentage mated together by robots on an assembly line. If you open up a quartz watch and look inside, you will know what I mean.
While the various movements of a mechanical watch are time tested and their designs well-known to collectors, the quartz movement remains a mystery. When one buys an expensive quartz wristwatch, there is no way of telling whether it has an expensive quartz movement or a cheap one. All that the quartz circuit maker will say is that the movement is "very advanced and accurate" etc and no technical details or circuit plans are disclosed.
Defenders of quartz will say that constant R & D has improved the quartz movement tremendously and batteries are now fail safe (non-leak) and that some last almost 10 years. Cartier is one upmarket watchmaker which believes in quartz and its latest quartz called 202P, is a very much improved version of its first generation quartz movement. This is used in the latest editions of the Cartier Pasha, Santos, Panthere and Diabolo.
Rolex has a quartz, the Oysterquartz Day-Date Chronometer in 18-carat gold (with bezel, dial and bracelet set in diamonds) that carries a list price of RM131,083. Patek Philippe's Nautilus with quartz movements are also very upmarket and expensive watches. The Audemars Piquet Royal Oak Championship (dedicated to Nick Faldo) is a limited edition of just 500 watches and it is available only in quartz.
However, the BIG question remains. Can a quartz watch last as long as a mechanical one? My personal experience says "NO". I bought a Cartier Santos in 1981 for RM2700 and the quartz movement lasted only 5 years. The entire quartz circuit was replaced in 1986 for RM480. Another Cartier (a ladies model) bought in 1982 for RM1300 lasted only 4 years and the entire quartz movement had to be changed twice by the agents in Singapore before the watch could be put right. A Seiko "calculator watch" bought in 1980 for RM900 was declared a write-off a year later due to a faulty battery that leaked into the quartz circuit thus ruining it.
These three cases involved the early 1st generation quartz movements but I still think that quartz technology has a long way to go and the search for the perfect battery has yet to end. The watch with the mechanical movement will always remain the favourite of watch collectors. True collectors choose an item for its beauty, function and history. The making of a mechanical watch is an art by itself, from the making of the various mechanical parts to its assembly by skilled craftsmen. Many mechanical wristwatches continue to be reliable timepieces today despite having gone through decades of use.
A quartz movement is no feast for the eyes but take a look at the Patek Philippe Minute Repeater or any other complicated watches and it is to behold true beauty. Even an ordinary mechanical movement (ETA) is pleasing to look at.
Here is a story of one of my favourite watches in my collection, a mechanical timepiece made by Vacheron Constantin. I bought this watch in Zurich in 1974 and paid a small ransom for it. At that time this watch was billed as the "thinnest automatic watch in the world". I saw the watch while passing a shop window and at once, I knew I had to buy it. It was one of the most exquisite timepieces I have ever seen and owned.
I was advised that the watch should be sent back to the factory in Switzerland for servicing every two years and I did that diligently until 1990. Sometime in mid 1990, I found that the watch was running fast and I happened to be in Singapore. I took it to a shop in Lucky Plaza which had a sign to say they were authorised agents for Vacheron Constantin. They opened the watch to do the adjustments but the result was worse, the watch ran even faster. No matter what they did for the next few hours, they could not put it right.
They then contacted the main agents in Singapore who told them that my watch should only be opened and serviced in the factory in Switzerland due to the special caliber 838 movement used. The watch was then sent back to Switzerland and it came back after two months running perfectly. There was no charge for the work as they acknowledged the problem was caused by one of their sub-agent's ignorance. The company wrote me an apology and the letter also stated that the person who re-assembled my watch was the same craftsman who assembled it in 1974. I don't suppose a quartz watch will give you this kind of experience.
Remember that time is measured by fine caliber movements and not by a leaking battery.
Ref: This article was first published in the July 1993 issue of Asian Auto, Malaysia's leading motoring magazine
Note from mainadmin: Watchery has long been an interest of mine. One day I was looking around at a friend's price search site and to my surprise he actually had an Astronaut's watch listed in his database. Astronaut? Owning a watch that was designed for outerspace, imagine that, and you can own one for just USD1100, hey that isn't too bad. Not ridiculously expensive like what someone would expect. It's even cheaper than certain models of Tag Heuers. So is it truly an Astronaut standard issued watch or merely just another misleading marketing gimmick. BTW, I'm a no quartz person :)
Latest tsunami buoys deployed off coast of northern Malaysia
A bunch of friends and I recently spotted this high-tech looking tsunami early-warning buoy in a beach off the northwestern coast of Penang Island. This buoy was just about to be deployed when we stumbled upon it during a weekend getaway trip to a well known but secluded beach called Kerachuterdam Beach. At least we can rest a little easier now knowing that the government is using tax payers money wisely by purchasing these high-tech contraptions which hopefully once deployed will help provide early warnings to the public of impending tsunami threats in the future.
A search on Google for the manufacturer of this tsunami buoy came up with this:
The SEAWATCH MINI ll buoy is a small buoy designed for coastal applications but it can also measure directional waves further offshore. It is well suited as a wave measurement buoy but can also be fitted with a certain number of metocean and water quality sensors.
Features: · Small and easy to transport. · Ideal for directional wave measurements. · Insensitive to spinning and rough handling. · Real-time data transfer and presentation. · Full onboard processing of all measured data. · Two-way communication link for data transfer and control of a number of buoys. · Special mooring design minimizes mooring influence on buoy motions.
Pantai Kerachut : A hidden away beach sanctuary in Penang Island
Undisturbed, unspoilt & tranquility is what best to describe Pantai Kerachut. Located at the north-east of Penang Island along the Muka Head cape, it is one of six beaches in Penang National Park.
This relatively unknown place is normally frequent by locals who went there to explore the lush greenery of Penang National Park & to camp at the designated campsite near the beach. Lately, more & more foreign tourist starts to give this fantastic place, a stop over.
Perhaps, it is the charming & alluring beauty of Pantai Kerachut that makes' it, the best gateway to recuperate from the hectic city life. There are 2 way to get to the beach. First, is by walk/hike & the second is by boat. Taking a boat will be faster & will cost you approximately RM 15 per person (one way). There will be some fishermen boat along the stretch of Teluk Bahang that can bring you there. The price is not fixed, so try bargain for a good price.
Some hotels along Batu Ferringhi also provides' boat service to this beaches. For example, Golden Sands Resort and Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa. Although, you can enjoy a more relaxing boat cruise to this place, walking has become more favored nowadays. It's because the trails to Pantai Kerachut are much simpler and so much shorter compared to 4 years back. Various signboard are put up, leading you to Pantai Kerachut, Monkey Beach, Muka Head Lighthouse and some others beaches. The walk/hike will take between 1 ~ 2 hour’s journey along the lush greenery and astounding beauty of Penang National Park.
You'll need to register before heading into the park to prepare for any eventualities in case some of you did not made it back. Registration is of course, FREE!
Some of the Flora in the forest includes Cashew nuts which are common here. Fully grown timber trees are found inside the forest beyond the coast. Fauna such as bats and birds are very common. Monkeys are a nuisance as they raided campsites for food.
The calls from a pair of resident stock billed kingfisher in the evening occasionally break the monotonous beating waves and chirping birds. Wild boars and mousedeers are quite common during low tourist seasons. Pantai Kerachut is one of the few beaches in Penang with a turtle hatchery site, and is the only beach where the Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas can be spotted. It is believed that the Green Turtle only migrate here for nesting as extensive algae are not known and found around Penang Island.
The turtle hatchery site is one of the projects taken up by the State Fisheries Department some 16 years back. Turtle eggs were obtained from elsewhere to initiate the hatchery project and 17,345 hatchlings have been released to the sea from 2001 to 2006.
Now, the beach has started to attracted adult egg laying turtles. There are about 35 green badge tourist guides who will draw up a timetable for visitors and the number of visitors will be limited, in line with the national park conversation policy. According to the Fisheries Department spokesman, the best season to watch the hatchlings would be in June and July. So, remember to jolt down this important period.
Others attractions include visiting the seasonal meromictic lake, visible for only six months of the year. The lake has two layers of water of different temperatures. The bottom layer of sea water is normally warmer than the surface fresh water. Warm saline water below and fresh water on top. The lake is just a short walking distance from the beach.
A thing to note is that, you can't find any food or drink sellers on this beach. Therefore, it is essential to bring our own. You wouldn't want to eat something from the wild, right? And when evening comes, it is where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of the beautiful sunset, amidst the beatings of endless ocean wave coming down the shores. Enjoy your visit to the beach & have fun!
Recently Thailand has become rather a popular name when tourism is chosen as the topic for discussion, and it's not that hard to imagine why! After all, one look at its rich culture and natural resources, and we can see why Thailand has a lot to brag about itself and its "appealingness" to tourists from all over the world.
Mentioned below are some of the popular tourist attractions in Thailand.
Located in southern Thailand, Phuket is a world famous holiday destination with pictorial beauty, breathtaking beaches, amazing Thai cuisine, thrilling water sports and rich resorts for that more than perfect holiday in Thailand. This tourist spot of Thailand is known for its nightlife, seafood, romantic retreat and gorgeous coral reefs. Phuket is a very popular place for holidaymakers to visit among tourists from all over the world.
Bangkok's Canals
The capital of Thailand is world famous for its water markets and houses. Tourists and visitors on holiday in Thailand must not miss this unusual open water area with floating shops and houses. Do shop at this extraordinary water market for a whole new experience.
Tarutao Marine National Park
While you are holidaying in Thailand make sure you visit Tarutao Marine National Park, as this tourist spot offers an amazing company of plants, animals and lets you experience the best of its wildlife resources.
Suan Pakkad Palace
This tourist spot is perfect for those in love with art, as the place offers remarkable art collections. The place also lets you cherish and experience the beauty of traditional houses when on holiday in Thailand.
Temple of Wat Arun
Bangkok is known to have more than 400 temples, but Wat Arun is one of the most prominent and worth visiting one. The temple acts as a major tourist spot because of its contemporary architectural layout and unique design. Many of those holidaying in Thailand often visit this temple to capture the images on Buddha's life displayed at the temple.
National Museum in Bangkok
Bangkok's national museum is a must-see tourist attraction for those on a holiday in Thailand. The museum offers collections of striking artifacts that add a touch of true Thailand to your vacation.
Statue of Buddha
The Island of Ko Samui is famous for the popular statue of Buddha. When holidaying in Thailand you must visit this island to experience the religious feel of Thailand. The place is known to draw tourist and visitors looking for the real Thailand.
Trekking at Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a renowned trekking base that allures all the fun and adventure loving tourists and visitors holidaying in Thailand. There is nothing better than trekking through forests and mountains in the north for those looking for some great scenery, thrill and adventure like elephant rides and bamboo rafting.
Best time to holiday in Thailand
The ideal time for a vacation in Thailand would be the months from December to March.
Whenever I mention Malaysia to friends, they merely nod politely and change the subject. They talk instead about Bangkok's sizzling night-club scene, or the buzz of shopping in Hongkong! Well, true enough-Malaysia doesn't have that kind of razzmatazz. Nor does it need to.
It has other riches to offer.
Take, for example, Penang's Tropical Fruit Farm, and its unique Tropical Spice Gardens.
At the Tropical Fruit Farm, I join a group of visitors as they board a battered-looking truck. The vehicle pants its way up a narrow, curling road, and at the crest of a hill, overlooking the sweep of Penang Island and the Straits of Malacca, we dismount and gather around Ali, who is to be our guide throughout the tour. Although we are at a modest elevation of just 244 metres above sea level, the humidity is fierce; perspiration trickles down my neck, and my dark-glasses fog over.
However, this non-commercial orchard is well worth the sweat. Sprawling over twenty-five acres of undulating country, the Farm is also an experimental research centre. Ali is an accomplished raconteur, with a wry sense of humour, and although he doesn't go into horticultural technicalities, he introduces us to a range of curious-looking specimens: bright red dragon fruit-spiky grenades hanging off the parent cactus plant-and rambutans covered in punk-orange "hair". While it's impossible to cover 200 species of fruit in an hour, the group are nonetheless fascinated by rare varieties of betel nut palms, exotic strains of passion fruit, sugar apples-and cute miniature bananas the size of my small toe. Ali plucks pink water apples off a heavily laden tree and offers them to us; they taste slightly acrid and after my first bite, I throw what's left to a hopeful-looking crow hopping along behind us. The Miracle Fruit berry is unusual: the small crimson bead, when chewed, hoodwinks the palate, so that even the sourest lemon is tastes nectar-sweet. Naturally, everyone wants to give that a try.
There's no need to use Miracle Fruit's berries when we return to the reception area-our exertions are rewarded by drinks of sweet ice-cold mango juice and a lavish tropical fruit salad-pineapple slices, interspersed with papaya, bananas and passion fruit wedges. Durians, to my immense relief, are not in season.
On leaving the Fruit Farm, I head towards the Tropical Spice Gardens-a short drive downhill towards the trendy beach and shopping area of Bukit Feringgi. If the sun was direct and fierce at the top of the hill, I am now enveloped in green shade: a soothing world of flowering hibiscus shrubs, mauve jacarandas, lemon-fronded laburnums and scarlet flame-of-the-forest trees. Trails wind along gently sloped terraces, edged by meandering streams and waterfalls. Fan-leaved banana plants grow beside bamboo thickets and towering rubber trees, and a riot of deep blue morning glory and hot-pink bougainvillea creepers shawl the railings of miniature bridges. White and lemon orchids cling to the barks of hardwood trees.
Past the first terrace, with its profusion of crotons, cycads and ferns, (each meticulously tagged with their botanical identity), I walk up a small slope, and sit on a wooden bench. A bird whoops somewhere in the jungle foliage behind me, and I watch a ballet of royal blue-and-gold winged butterflies fluttering around a plant bearing droopy-fingered orange blooms. The afternoon air is drowsy with the hum of bees, and heavy with the scent of frangipani, mingled with the faint, but unmistakable fragrance of cinnamon. Apart from herb beds of mint, thyme, coriander and parsley, I am surrounded by a splendour of tropical spice plants-red ginger, cardamom, cloves, pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, garlic, cassia (cinnamon) and areca nut.
Although Penang's Butterfly Farm isn't unique-both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have similar attractions-it nonetheless grabs my attention for well over an hour, As I try to capture shots of butterflies flickering like brightly-coloured confetti around me, I notice a small boy beaming with delight as a gigantic Raja Brooke, black with dramatic emerald green markings, settles on his hand. His older sister, meanwhile, is transfixed in front of a glass-fronted display window as a cocoon starts to split open to reveal a soggy-winged brand new butterfly. Apart from about 120 species of winged performers, there are other resident virtuosos. Two small horned toads stare beady-eyed at me, and a spiny stick insect freezes into camouflage mode on a brown twig. Next door, a tarantula is wooing his mate, and family life also seems to be thriving in the scorpion household, with baby scorpions shimmying around their mum. In the world of beetles, a large stag beetle flexes his mandibles (equivalent, perhaps, to a macho guy showing off his biceps?), and a long armed Scarab brings to mind a stylized Egyptian emblem.
So is Malaysia boring? Is Penang 'ho-hum'? This is a country where Nature is prolific and flamboyant-see it, taste it, smell it and touch it. It beguiles. It intrigues. And it draws visitors like me back time and again!
BANDA ACEH (Indonesia) - INDONESIA opened a US$5.6 million (S$8.5 million) museum on Monday to commemorate the 230,000 people who died in the 2004 Asian tsunami.
The four-level building in hardest-hit Aceh province exhibits photographs of victims, stories of survivors and an electronic simulation of the massive undersea earthquake that triggered the 10-metre-high waves.
It also describes the tremendous outpouring of support from governments, companies and individuals in the aftermath of the Dec 26, 2004 disaster, which caused death and destruction in a dozen nations.
More than $13 billion was pledged to house and feed survivors and to rebuild devastated coasts.
The government says the museum, designed by local architect Ridwan Kamil, is an important part of the recovery process, paying tribute to those who died and explaining to future generations what happened and why.
The opening was not without controversy.
More than 700 families are still living in barracks in Aceh, which was home to two-thirds of the victims, and some were disappointed to see millions of dollars being spent on a monument.
'They should be taking care of us first,' said Anisah Tahir, 50, who has been living with her husband and two children in a tiny room in a squalid camp in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. 'We need a decent place to live and sleep,' she said.
Indonesia is located in the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin, and is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions. -- AP
Georgetown offers some delightful shopping opportunities in the form of modern shopping complexes and streets with cultural souvenirs and goods.The malls offer a range of shopping for modern goods ranging from fashion to electronics and jewellery to gadgets while the cultural shopping areas enable you to see and admire cultural designs and lifestyles of the different races in Penang.
KOMTAR KOMTAR, which stands for Kompleks Tunku Abdul Razak, is a famous landmark in Penang and the tallest building on the island. Inside the tower is a small shopping mall that houses a limited range of goods and merchandise. What most people come here for is to take a ride up to the top for a panoramic view of the entire island, where you can see the Penang Bridge and Butterworth on the mainland.
PRANGIN MALL The Prangin Mall is a relatively new shopping complex located right next to the KOMTAR building. The mall houses over 600 outlets in 8 levels, ranging from fashion to electronics and groceries to household appliances. This is also a popular destination for bootleg goods, especially DVDs of movies and music.
CHINATOWN The area around Campbell road is Penang's very own Chinatown - this is the place where the first Chinese migrants to Malaysia settled. The old buildings, clan houses and shop lots are very well-preserved, offering visitors a glimpse into the history of Chinese settlers in the early 1800s'. For shopping, a lot of Chinese-centric commodities go on sale, such as jade jewellery, Rolex watches, traditional clothes, herbs, medicines to more modern products than include branded electrical products and luggage bags.
LITTLE INDIA Situated around Lebuh Queen and Lebuh Chulia, Little India is just right next door to its neighbour Chinatown. For an Indian cultural shopping experience, Little India will amaze you with its 'Indian' sights, sounds and smells. The shops and stalls that line the streets stock everything Indian - from silk garments (sarees) to stainless steel Tiffin carriers and Indian sweets to flower necklaces. The atmosphere is permeated with the din of Bollywood music emanating from record shops and people talking and walking. Just down the street is the Mahamariamman Temple, a historic place of worship for the Indians of Penang.
JALAN PINTAI TALI (ROPE WALK STREET) Antique lovers should take note - Jalan Pintai Ali or Rope Street stocks a large variety of antiques such as porcelain, chains, coins, glass, ceiling lamps and antique clocks. Prices are negotiable, so don't give up till you've got the price you wanted. On a side note, no one can bring out of the country any antiques under the law without permission from the export Director General of Museums, Malaysia. However, antiques brought in and declared at customs are allowed.
Thanks to Penang’s sizable Chinese population, the Lunar New Year celebrations in the area are especially boisterous. On the eve of the New Year, Malaysian Chinese turn up in their ancestral homes to eat, gamble, shop and celebrate with their families. Throughout the Chinese New Year season, Penang comes alive with innumerable parties and parades, but several events are particularly worth seeing if you’re visiting the area.
Chinese New Year Street Market On January 18, the Little Penang Street Market condenses the entire Penang cultural and shopping experience into a single venue on a single day - with stalls and stores selling traditional Chinese New Year foods and trinkets, cultural performances going on in the streets, and the strains of Chinese traditional music filling the air.
The Street Market takes place on Upper Penang Ring Road, just across from the E&O Hotel.
Chinese New Year Open House 2009 Penang's government will hold a Chinese New Year Open House at Campbell Street on the 29th of January, from 6:30 to 10:30 in the evening.
If you want to see traditional Chinese performing arts, this is the place to go. Lion dances and Chingay performances will compete for your attention, just as you're sampling the delicious food that comes with any Chinese New Year celebration! Chinese New Year Cultural & Heritage Celebration 2009
Chinese New Year celebrations in Penang are most boisterous in Penang's historical district, where the locals are proud of their city's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On February 1, a Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration will be staged along Armenian Street, Cannon Street, Ah Quay Street, Soo Hong Lane, Acheen Street, and Chulia Street.
The celebration will feature some interesting activities such as a treasure hunt and a Chinese New Year cooking demonstration.
The Celebration will organize "Seven Towns" featuring the different cultures that have made Penang what it is today: Hokkien, Canton, Hainan, Teochew, Hakka, Wushu, and Malay. Visitors can wander through each "town" to explore the different cultural traditions of the city.
Different civic organizations also play a part in the day's cultural events: clan groups such as Khoo Khongsi, Lim Khongsi, Cheah Khongsi, and Yap Khongsi will present an opera show and a series of cultural dances.
When I was interviewed by a local press on whether the tsunami justifies a second link for Penang - presumably to allow Penangites to flee - my first reaction was that even the media had been hit by the tsunami of paranoia!
It seems to me that there are some interested parties who are cracking their brains to push their pet projects, by hook or by crook. I told the serious sounding journalist that there are at least two ways to answer the question: first, there are many ways to address the danger from tsunami - eg, warning from bay watchers were enough to get hotel guests off the beach. What we need is to extend this life-saving service to all beaches.
Second, the second link need to be compared to the efficiencies of other transport investments such as public transport before we can jump into it. This is not a joke because a day before - and a day after the tsunami - another group of journalists from Kuala Lumpur dropped in and asked in all seriousness, “How long will Penang Island stay up in the sea?” I replied that Penang’s hills go up to 3,000 feet above sea level and if they are flooded, surely much more would be flooded in the mainland!
These are two real-life stories from my tsunami experience. However, there is a palpable sea-phobia in George Town. People are officially warned to stay away from the sea. From now on, the sea which inspired so many poets in history, has become a menace.
Such thinking may be short-lived but it has certainly been exploited by some interested parties to get rid of anything they don’t want by the seaside. For example, the seaside heritage, Koay Jetty, is given more doubts after the tsunami, even by some of my better friends. But such doubts somehow is not extended to the new flats which will be located exactly where the jetties now stand!
Now let’s get the fact right - the heritage area is not facing the open sea which is vulnerable to another tidal wave attack. But what if it was? Does this justify the heritage’s removal - after all, the jetties (there are seven in all) have been sitting there for over 100 years without any hassles? I think a pro-heritage position would be more likely to justify some shelter for it than to demolish it!
If anything, the tsunami danger should warrant the chief minister to rethink his town planning to line the seashore with high-rises which inevitably will mass people and property onto the potentially dangerous shore line. One factor offered by some observers about the high death toll in Thailand is that some of the hotels there are located too close to the sea.
It can be said that heritage buildings had been there for historical reasons outside the control of its original builders - but the builders of these modern flats are not similarly constrained, and thus there should be more accountability for their choice of location.
If the sea-front heritage were to be demolished because of the tsunami, it would be a shame - the jetties were there precisely because the earlier labour force of Weld Quay were not given any land to build their homes. They - and their offsprings - had gone through the thick and thin of living on the sea. It seems odd that the current ‘compassion’ to these dwellers must come with a condition that these heritage buildings be demolished.
It seems that there is an unspoken wish, over and above the flat builders’ obvious vested interests, to erase this sad part of George Town’s working class history as if they are not happy to let more generations to be reminded of how the `founding fathers’ had not been able to provide their labourers some decent land to build a secure home.
If this official thinking is allowed to prevail then truly our history is on for a clean-up, not by the tsunami from the sea but from the modern version of the same wickedness and exploitativeness of the `founding fathers’.
It has been 4 years now but memories of that fateful day still lingers on for many.
A lot has changed for the citizens living in Penang Island as since then the Malaysian government has built a concerted Tsunami Early Warning System in places like Penang Island, Langkawi Island and Kedah.
The victims in Tg Bungah Penang where their houses were totally destroyed by the tsunami 4 years ago have since moved into a new apartment block that was constructed by the government, ironically still located in the same site where the tsunami had actually struck. However, safety considerations have been incorporated into the design of the building where the entire apartment block is raised 25 feet from the groundlevel. Not sure how high were the killer waves back then but the authorities here feel that this height is sufficiently safe. The money used to build the apartments for the tsunami victims came from public donations and a total of 100 units were built.
This is not a tsunami related post but I believe strongly that each and every citizen of the world has a right to democracy, regardless of nationality, religion or social standing. Hence I'm putting up this post to let the world know of the atrocities that has befallen the people of Myanmar(formerly known as Burma) which was brought about by the nation's Junta(Myanmar's military ruling party).
In the past week there has been a peaceful uprising in which pro-democratic demonstrators onsisting of Myanmarian citizens and Buddhist monks took to the roads of the capitol city Yangon in thousands protesting for democracy in the poverty stricken nation of Myanmar. The military run Junta instead of finding a peaceful solution to the protests shocked the world by firing on them with automatic rifles! Killing their citizens and even monks! Buddhist monks are the epitome of peace and morality in this country and even such peaceful folks have been driven to protest against Myanmar's 45 years of military rule and hardship, and this rare and peaceful protest is reciprocated by the government with bullets and batons instead.
I urge the people of the world to open their eyes to these cruel atrocities brought upon the nation and people of Myanmar by it's own government, in hope that the world leaders of all countries in the world will unite and quickly work together to put an immediate stop to this sickening and blasphemous atrocity!
The Junta government has locked down all modes of telecommunication in the country but a few bloggers have managed to retrieve information and images of the true situation over there. Please read more about it at the following blogs :
NEWS CONFIRMED : Tsunami warning issued after 7.9 magnitude quake off Sumatra
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued a tsunami alert after a powerful earthquake struck off Sumatra, Indonesia at 7.10pm.
The department has advised people in the northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Penang to move away from beaches as a safety precaution.
Tremors were felt in parts of the west coast of peninsular Malaysia when the quake struck.
It was centered at 105 km southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra and 718km southwest of Johor Bahru, at a depth of 15.6km.
Malaysian is adequately equipped to detect a tsunami and issue a warning within an hour before it reaches the shore.
The system is based on two buoys - one in the Andaman Sea near Rondo Island in Indonesia and the other in the South China Sea near Pulau Layang-layang in Sabah.
Malaysians will receive notice of evacuation via television, radio, satellite broadcast and SMS within 15 minutes of data transmission from the buoys.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had earlier issued a tsunami alert for the entire Indian Ocean region after the quake.
Price of new low-cost homes too steep for tsunami victims
PENANG, MALAYSIA : The tsunami victims in Penang are unable to move into their new homes because the price is not right, said MP Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye. The state government had set a ceiling price of RM42,000 per unit of low-cost home but the company engaged by the Federal Government to build the houses for tsunami victims was quoting RM52,000 per unit.
Chia said the state government was not agreeable to the price quoted by the company. “The state has appealed to the Federal Government to look into the matter urgently as the tsunami victims need to move into permanent homes,” Chia said.
The tsunami victims who lost their homes in Dec 2004 have been living in transit longhouses since more than two years ago. The victims have been complaining that the transit homes have started falling apart with cracks and leakages. Chia said the housing problems must be settled soon as the new homes would also fall apart if left unattended for a long time.
Tsunami 26th December 2006 - recalling the days that followed that bewildering and chaotic day
Date: Dec. 26, 2004
* Tzu Chi volunteers were unable to enter the disaster areas due to a temporary closure ordered by the local police squad for safety concerns. * Later that evening, Tzu Chi volunteers went to the morgue to help the families of the victims. They served hot meals and provided care and emergency cash to them. * Number of households helped: 14. * Amount of hot meal served: 320 bags. * Number of volunteers participated: 60.
Date: Dec. 27, 2004
* Some volunteers started entering the disaster areas in the morning, while others were preparing hot meals, emergency cash and relief goods. * Volunteers reported that some of the victims needed help to clean up their houses. Ten volunteers participated in the cleaning effort and cleaned two households. * At noon, volunteers spread out into different disaster area and started the relief efforts by disbributing relief goods at a designated shelter amd making door-to-door distribution. * Number of households helped: Tanjung Tokong (57), Permatang Damar Laut (35), Bagan Teluk Kumbar (30), Pulau Betong (40), Kuala Muda (273). * Medical staff affiliated with the Tzu Chi International Medical Association offered free clinic services to the victims at the relief shelters in Tanjung Tokong and Kuala Muda. * Number of victims received medical attention: 28 people. * Households received relief goods: 435. * Hot meal served: 1,260 bags. * Number of volunteers participated: 300
Date: Dec. 28, 2004 Methods of relief efforts: 1) relief distribution at a designated shelter; 2) door-to-door distribution.
* Number of households helped: Kuala Jalan Baru (36), Permatang Damar Laut (16), Sungai Pinang (50), Bagan Jermal(83), Tanjung Tokong (20), Tanjung Bungah (88), Kuala Muda (295). * Another group of volunteers headed to the disaster areas to clean up the trash and debris. Later, they were joined by the relief team and transported a total of seven truckloads of trash. * Medical staff went to the relief shelter in Kuala Muda to provide free medical care. * Number of victims received medical care: 100 people. * Households received relief goods: 588. * Hot meal served: 690 bags. * Number of volunteers participated: 200.
Date: Dec. 29, 2004 Methods of relief efforts: 1) relief distribution at a designated shelter; 2) door-to-door distribution.
* Number of households helped: relief goods delivered in Tanjong Bungah of Penang (66) and Bagan Jelma (5). Relief goods were distributed in Kuala Teriang of Langkawi (210). * Volunteers continued the cleaning effort after the relief was finished. They provided cleaning effort in the same disaster area as yesterday. Another eight truckloads of trash were transported today. * Forty-five Tzu Chi volunteers from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Johor and Langkawi came to the Langkawi relief shelter to provide relief goods to the victims. * Tzu Chi volunteers were able to identify residents who needed special care and help in the Tanjung Bungah disaster area with the help of the village's top official. The volunteers collected the case data in preparation for subsequent post-disaster care. * Hot meals were served to the victims without hot food in Bagan Jelma of Penang. * Households received relief goods: 281. * Hot meal served: 24 bags. * Number of volunteers participated: 77.
Date: Dec. 30, 2004 Methods of relief efforts: distributing relief materials at a designated shelter.
* Number of households helped: Tanjung Bungah of Penang (13), Bukit Malut of Langkawi (330), and Sungain Bakau (51). * Twenty-eight Tzu Chi volunteers continued the house cleaning and gave personal care in Kampung Nelayan of Tanjung Bungah. Tzu Chi volunteers also teamed up with a local Christian group to clean up the disaster areas. In the afternoon, 18 volunteers took over and continued the cleaning effort. * More than 60 volunteers from Alor Setar, Jitra, Butterworth and Penang joined to help cleaning the victims’ houses in Kuala Muda. A total of five houses belonged to 10 elderly people and a kindergarten were cleaned by the volunteers. Volunteers were ordered to leave the area later by the police due to another possible tsunami attack. * A Tzu Chi social worker and 10 volunteers provided care and relief goods to the families of the killed victims. Seven households were visited and four households received relief goods. * Two rounds of relief goods distribution and free medical clinic were provided in Langkawi today -- in Bukit Malut in the morning and in Sungai Bakau in the afternoon. * A total of 45 Tzu Chi volunteers and social workers from Penang, Kuala Lumpar, Kedah, Johor and Langkawi participated in today’s relief effort. * About 200 people came to the free clinic for medical treatments. Two doctors, two nurses, one pharmacist and four volunteers helped in the free clinic. * Number of Households received relief goods: 39 * Number of volunteers participated: 151.
Date: Dec. 31, 2004
* A total of 22 volunteers participated in today’s cleaning up effort in Tanjong Bunga (including the beach area). Tzu Chi volunteers also provided hot meals (170 boxes) to these victims in two relief shelters, delivered relief goods to one household and reported five cases needing for further help. * Tzu Chi social workers and volunteers continued to provide in-home care to the families of the deceased victims and delivered relief goods to them based on the information from two hospitals. Among the six families they visited, one lost five children when the tsunami hit. Both parents of that family were too devastated to take care of their own injuries. Tzu Chi volunteers provided loving care and would continue to offer their care and support. * Households received relief goods: 7. * Hot meal served: 170 boxes (Tajung Tokong: 150 boxes, Bagan Jelma: 20 boxes). * Number of volunteers participated: 27.
Date: Jan.1, 2005
* A total of 218 Tzu Chi volunteers headed to the disaster areas in Pulau Betong in the morning to help community cleaning up. They also cleaned seven houses damaged by the tsunami. The cleaning work continued until 4:30 p.m. * Besides Tzu Chi volunteers, there were many other people from local businesses and organizations joining the cleaning up effort during the New Year’s break. The day's volunteers included 218 from Tzu Chi, 150 from Intel, 80 from PPH, 30 from BLIA, 15 from Four-Wheel Drive Team, 3 from Inventec, and 50 others. * Together with everyone’s cleaning effort, a total of 32 truckloads of trash were transported out from the tsunami-affected area.
Well it seems that Blogger/Google finally manage to restore this blog to the original, with all the original tsunami articles and all.
It is really amazing what the people in Google can do. Well, now all we have to do is to add new content to this already magnificent blog.
I for one would like to feature the tourist destinations of both Penang and Thailand. This is to bring more awareness towards these beautifully restored tourist destinations that is already known the world over.
Here are some pictures of famous places in both Penang and Thailand.
The chilling fact is another earthquake measuring 7.2 struck off southern Taiwan. Is this just a coincidence? The perfect timing? Or is it something more? A sign perhaps?
Magnitude 7.2 quake off southern Taiwan - USGS
TAIPEI (Reuters) - A magnitude 7.2 quake struck off southern Taiwan on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
Britain's Sky News, quoting Japan's Meteorological Agency, said the quake had triggered a tsunami heading for the Philippines.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the quake measured 6.7 and was located at a depth of 22 km. Its epicentre was west-southwest of the Hengchun Peninsula on the island's southern tip.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said no Pacific-wide tsunami was expected, although a local tsunami was possible.
By Richard Balmforth BANG MARUAN, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand began burying the last 110 of its unidentified victims of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in an inter-religious ceremony on Wednesday not far from the beaches on which they were killed.
Muslim and Roman Catholic priests joined Buddhist monks in presiding over the burials in big concrete chambers from which well protected bodies could be retrieved easily if DNA samples and other evidence kept by researchers produced an identity.
Eleven aluminium coffins were interred in each concrete chamber cut into the sandy soil of a cemetery 3 km (2 miles) from the Khao Lak beaches swept clean of tourists, workers and fishermen at the height of the tourist season two years ago.
Thais bury an unclaimed body, one of the unidentified victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, at Bang Muang Cemetery in Phang Nga, 788 km (490 miles) south of Bangkok, December 6, 2006. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang) Most of the unidentified victims were believed to be Thai or migrant workers from Myanmar who were among the 5,395 people, half of them foreign holidaymakers, killed by the tsumani in Thailand, where it left almost 3,000 people missing.
DNA samples and other evidence from each body would allow investigators to continue searching for identities, officials of the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) said.
The aluminium coffins and concrete chambers capped by 500 kg (1,100 lb) lids would preserve the bodies from the hot, humid climate, they said.
"If relatives wanted to pick up the bodies in the future, then we could dig them out easily," TTVI official Police Lieutenant Wiwat Sidhisorudej said.
The burial of all 110 bodies was expected to be finished early next week in the cemetery where 300 unidentified bodies were buried over the past two months, officials said.
Still in cold storage at the nearby TTVI centre, which took over in January after most international experts ended their role in what has been called the world's biggest forensics investigation, are more than 100 bodies.
They have been identified but not yet claimed by relatives -- among them one Turk, one Nepali, 73 from Myanmar and 27 Thais killed by a tsunami in which more than 230,000 people died or disappeared in a dozen countries.
About 30 identified bodies of migrant workers from military-ruled Myanmar would be collected next week by one of their representative, said Colonel Khemmarin Hassiri, the TTVI chief.
During the burial ceremony, Sangkeep Kulmee came to pick up the body of her aunt, killed by the giant waves while working at a Khao Lak resort and identified nearly two years later.
"The feeling of happiness or sadness now is equal as I have been waiting for my aunt's body for almost two years," she said.
NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA, Dec 1st, Magnitude of 6.3 earthquake
I personally experienced the tremors right here in Penang. The readings of the quake is said to be :
An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s North Sumatra province Friday, but there is no immediate report of injuries or damage so far.
The tremor hit at 10:58 local time (0358 GMT) and was centered in the town of Tebing Tinggi, some 70 km east of the provincial capital of Medan, said Hardiyatno, a national earthquake analysis staff with the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.
More info, photo of the readings and latest news can be found in my personal blog.
The Indian Ocean tsunami generated record promises of help by scores of governments around the world.
Reuters Tsunami Aidwatch was set up to measure how much of the money pledged after the Dec. 26 disaster is converted into actual funding for relief and reconstruction in the region.
In previous emergencies donors have often failed to honour their pledges – for example the United Nations says donors paid less than half what they promised after Hurricane Mitch which killed 10,000 people in Central America in 1998.
Private aid
The tsunami response has been unusual in that members of the public have in many cases given almost as much as their governments, and in some instances - eg United States, Britain, Switzerland and Mexico - they have even given more.
The total aid figure also includes an estimate for these private donations. This figure can only be approximate as it is impossible to account for every dollar dropped into every collection box for every one of the multitude of agencies helping in the region.
Some governments have kept tabs on private donations but the majority have not so we have also used information from the larger aid agencies. The figure $0 next to private donations on the bar chart means no information was available.
In some cultures people may be loath to say how much they have given to charity as it could be seen as boasting. In other places, big private donors may not want to disclose how much they have donated for tax reasons.
Official aid
Government aid comes in many forms – outright grants, military logistical help, debt relief, in-kind donations and concessional loans.
Aidwatch pledge figures may differ from those given by donors where they include concessional loans. The reason is that donors tend to express loan pledges in terms of the sum lent whereas we have estimated the actual cost to the donor of lending that sum.
For example, Australia says it has offered a A$1bln aid package. But as half this is in the form of loans we have estimated how much it will cost Australia to lend A$500m. This works out at A$451.3. See below for more details.
Pledges and allocations are based on announcements and information from the donors along with official statistics. Totals may not always match totals stated by donors because of the inclusion of different categories of aid allocations. Explanatory notes for individual countries can be found by clicking on the tab marked "What's your country doing?" and then clicking on a country in the list.
Allocations include not only money that has been disbursed but also funds that have been formally approved for a specific purpose even if they have not been physically handed over.
Aidwatch data excludes routine contributions by governments to multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department. But it does include supplementary tsunami-related contributions where known.
Data includes debt relief or loans that borrowers are no longer required to pay back but not debt moratoria or changes in debt-repayment schedules.
Where possible, currencies were converted at mid-May rates.
How we worked out the grant element of loans
To create a consistent measure of tsunami aid, we have put concessional loans on the same footing as outright grants by establishing the "grant element" of the loans. This is done by calculating the "cost" faced by the donor - in other words, what the donor loses as a result of the transaction. For interest-free loans, the cost to the donor is that of the interest payments it would otherwise have got if it had lent the money at market rates. For a low-interest loan, it is the difference between interest payments received and market rates.
To calculate the grant elements both of Australia's zero-interest loans to Indonesia and the Asian Development Bank's loans we have used a discount factor of 10 per cent. This discount factor is used by the ADB in its internal calculations. In our estimates it is used both to calculate the value today of a repayment made in the future, and as the assumed interest rate the borrower would have to pay on the open market.
To calculate the grant elements of the floating rate ADB loans to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India we have assumed they are equivalent to a fixed rate loan and made the conversion at the 30-year 'swap rate' at which floating rate dollar-denominated loans can be traded for a fixed interest rate (approximately 5.00 per cent as of mid-May, 2005).
Tsunami loans - Summary
* Converted at US$/A$ rate of 1.287 prevailing in mid-May ** ADB's standard discount factor and the rate used for calculations of interest foregone by lender *** Involves assumptions about nature of loan yet to be clarified by ADB
Around $13.6 billion has been pledged by donors around the world to rebuild Indian Ocean countries after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, which killed around 230,000 people, the U.N. Envoy for Tsunami Recovery says.
It is more than enough to meet the estimated needs.
Here are some key facts about the tsunami relief and rebuilding effort, which the United Nations says was the most generous and most immediately funded international emergency relief effort ever.
* Total damages: $10.73 billion; rebuilding costs: $10.375 billion.
* Number of countries affected: 13 (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Madagascar, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh)
* Number of people displaced: 2,089,883
* Number of people who lost their livelihoods: 1.5 million
* Number of houses reduced to rubble: 392,544; number needed: 308,000; number built or under construction: 46,000
* Number of boats destroyed: 103,829
* Ratio of women and children killed to men: 3:1
* Total time of earthquake that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami: eight minutes (Sources: U.N. office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, Oxfam International, Reuters Alertnet)
Today is exactly one year from the day the deadly tsunami waves struck. More than 200,000 people lost their lives in one of the worst natural disaster in the history of mankind.
A year has passed now and the worst is over but the reconstruction will continue for years to come. Hundreds of thousands of people today are still living in temporary homes and are still trying to come to terms with the magnitude of this tragedy.
Sitting here in the comfort of my home and writing this post, an array of emotions tingle through me when I think of that fateful day exactly one year ago. Sadness,for the many people directly affected by the tsunami. They have lost so much. And all so suddenly. Humility,for having realised that live can be so fragile and that our world and all things we hold dear could come crashing down on us any moment without warning. We should all live life each day as if it were our last. Anger,for feeling so helpless and weak when the tsunami struck. Relief,for knowing that there is still good in the hearts of humans. What amazes me most from this tragic event was the solidarity shown by people from all over the world regardless of nationality, colour or religion. For once we forgot our differences and the world came together and stood as one.
I wish to pay tribute to all those people who had so selflessly and kind heartedly helped the victims directly or indirectly. You may have donated some money,you may have shared some words of sympathy,you may have helped out in a collection centre. Whatever it was, however small you thought it was, all of it was worthwhile. Every little bit had helped the victims in some ways or another, I'm very sure of that.
To those who died, I pray that you find peace. To their families and loved ones, I pray that you will find the strength to move on in life. What has happened,has happened. We must move on but we don't have to forget. The memories of those who died in the tsunami will forever remain in our hearts.
I am hoping to hear some news of Dr, Arifin Sutan Sjahrir, or any member of his family in Malaysia who can enlighten me on their situation. I have heard nothing from him since the Tsunami. We corresponded as friends prior to the disaster.
Many thanks
D.R.Holmes England
NOTE:If you know anything of Dr Arifin,please email the admin of this blog. Thanks.
The Deadly Dec 26 Tsunami That Changed Our Lives Forever
It has already been eight months since the deadly Dec 26 tsunami hit Asia. This terrible tragedy which struck us so suddenly will forever remain in our memories for generations to come.
I live in Penang Island. A quiet, peaceful and beautiful tropical island located in Peninsular Malaysia. An island that is reknowned for it's pristine white sandy beaches and is a very well known and popular tourist destination. On December 26 2004 - pandemonium struck. Giant waves swept into the coastal beaches of Penang and our lives changed forever. We now realise how fragile life really is and how easily it can be taken away from us.
When the tsunami first hit Penang, there was a news blackout for a few hours and many did not know what had really happened. You would be surprised that in some places no one even knew the magnitude of the disaster only until a few days later.
I started this blog six days after the Tsunami hit. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Blogs are powerful tools for disseminating information. I only realised this after having started this blog. There were several satisfying and notable accomplishments that this blog achieved. I received many emails and most of them were from people all over the world that were concerned about their loved ones and friends. There were even a few cases where this blog had successfully reunited long lost friends! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors of tsunamipenang.blogspot.com who had helped me so much in running and maintaining this blog. Especially Cynical-Idealist, DannyFoo and Eric Ho.
A friend of mine who works in a popular hotel in Batu Ferringhi which is the most popular beach destination in Penang for tourists, told me that their room occupancy rate had dropped tremendously after the tsunami tragedy. As we all know,the tourism and hotel industry are always sensitive to such things. However, tourists are slowly returning now which is a good thing.
Yes. The Asian Tsunami was a terrible tragedy but the fact remains that life goes on and that we should never live life in fear. Staying away doesn't help. I truly hope that more tourists would return to Penang, Phuket, Bali and also to the other countries that were hit by the tsunami.
322 officially confirmed dead in Indonesia,based on latest official reports from Indonesia. The Indonesian authorities estimate that the death toll may amount to 1000 or 2000. Nias, a small island off the western coast of Sumatera was directly and most badly affected. The quake has been re-rated to 8.7 on the Richter Scale.
Quake puzzles tsunami experts. Many expected this quake to trigger a tsunami devastation similar to that of December 26,however,strangely it did not. Only a small wave was detected by a tide gauge on Cocos Island near Australia, about 2400 kilometres south of the epicentre. Some scientists believe the depth of the quake was the reason no tsunami was generated. The US Geological Survey said Monday's quake struck about 30 kilometres under the seabed. The December 26 quake was closer to the surface. This example goes to show the difficulties in predicting tsunamis.
Situation in Penang Island. At 2.30am today. About 2.5 hours after the quake, the roar and humming of motorboat engines could be heard along the beach areas. Possibly, patrol boats scampering along the coastal seas of Penang trying to warn the fishermen who were out at sea of a possible tsunami attack. The local authorities have reacted to this new tsunami threat remarkably quick and it shows that they are now prepared. We have learned from the past.
7.00am. The worst to fear was over. The tsunami that everyone feared would strike again never did happen. It was already past 5 hours from the time the quake occurred.
4.00pm. The loud buzz of helicopter rotor blades can be heard throughout the day since dawn. Helicopters can be seen patrolling the skies of Penang Island. The noise that these helicopters produce are a little unnerving, but it's assuring to know that the local authorities are taking all precautions necessary to help prevent another disaster.
Aceh, Acehkita Earthquake of an 8.2 Magnitude scale returns to shake Aceh and the North Sumatera. The Aceh people are reported to be in a state of panic and nervous that there will be a repeat of the December 26 tsunami incident.
Until this news comes down, communication to Aceh remains confidential. Acehkita tried contacting the Meteorological and Geophysical Body of Banda Aceh but couldn’t be connected as all communication has been cut. In conjunction, the US Geological Survey Group reports the quake happened at 23:10PM. According to the readings, the quake happened at a distance of 205KM off the Sibolga shores, Northern Sumatera at a depth of 30KM below sea level.
Our contributor in Aceh at Banda Aceh reports, during the earthquake for 5 minutes, it caused an outstanding panic situation. Electric power was out. People were running aimlessly in the darkness of night. Some people were running out of their homes with valuables. “I’m really afraid of another tsunami like the past December,” said one person.
Because of that, some people are busy seeking higher territorial ground like Blang Bintang, in Aceh besar, roughly 35KM from the center of Banda Aceh.
At Peuniti, Banda Aceh, some people are loading valuables from their house onto vehicles to move then to higher territories. At Beurawe, people are running in the direction of the mosque. Prayers chants can be heard from mosques. The panic situation has caused a massive traffic jam on the bridge of Simpang Surabaya.
Bireuen is also in a state of panic. The Polsek and Koramil members are working to calming the public that have brought out valuables from their homes. After hearing the orders, people have shifted their valuables back into their homes. But the public still prefers to anxiously stay outside their houses.
Minutes after the earthquake, our Acehkita contributor at Bireuen just arrived at the Kuta Blang beach to observe the ocean calming.
In the meantime, at Lhokseumawe, people living in the villages (Pusong Baro, Pusong Lama and Ujong Blang) near the beach are running towards Kandang and Panggoi. Our Acehkita contributor at Lhokseumawe reports, TNI are in time to prevent people from fleeing to outside the city. An earthquake also happened at Pidie.
Mukhtar, a Lhokseumawe citizen said that he managed to flee with his family just in time without reason. “What’s important is to be far away from the ocean in anticipating if another tsunami occurs,” he said.
Indonesians living in coastal areas are evacuating
NTV7,a Malaysian TV news channel reports that the Indonesian authorities have ordered an evacuation of residents living in the coastal areas off Aceh and it's vicinity. Military lorries and soldiers were shown assisting in the mass evacuations.
In Malaysia, the TV news channel also reported that Malaysian government officials and emergency units are on the alert. People living in coastal zones of Penang Island, Kedah and Langkawi are urged to temporarily move to higher grounds in fear of another tsunami attack.
The latest earthquake recorded on a seismograph. Taken from ChannelNewsAsia
As I am sitting here at 2am in the morning, many things run through my mind.
I felt the tremors at around 12.10 midnight worse than the one that cause the tsunami. My neighbours who evacuated to the open ground also agreed with this. We are staying at Medan Lumba Kuda, a low rise, 5-storey apartment.
I can't help but wonder if our little island in Penang will be spared this time, should there be another tsunami? Are we prepared this time? What are we supposed to do? There are so many questions running through my mind.
Being a mother to school going children, in St. Xavier Institution and St. Xavier Primary School, I am definitely not going to allow them to go to school tomorrow morning. I cannot bear the thoughts of not having them near me. The last time when the tsunami happened, it was during the school holidays. They are home. What if something like this happened when our children and spouses were away. I cannot imagine the agony I will feel.
It is sad that even in our little peaceful island, we have to worry about these things now. I pray that we will all be safe and there will be no more tsunami.
It was reported in CNN that Thailand has issued a warning that the quake could bring a tsunami to its southern provinces. The warning, which was carried on national television, cautioned people in the six provinces to be careful and vigilant, but did not order evacuations.
Malaysians should be vigilant too. The epicentre of this latest Indonesian quake is very close to the location of the recent boxing day quake that triggered the deadly December 26 tsunami. Preliminary reports of this latest quake measured 8.2 on the Richter Scale, but based on witness accounts throughout Malaysia, the tremors that were felt were must worse.
This tsunami disaster is the worst and most devastating human catastrophe in living memory. Write to us if you wish to share a personal experience, locate a missing friend, or simply want to convey a message to the victims.
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Quotes
"Without my wife I don't want to live. But because of my child, I will." - Sri Lankan Pala Withanage.
"I have been just married for a week and been spending our honeymoon in Bentota, Sri Lanka. Sharon (my wife) went down to the beach this morning to sunbathe and I have not seen her since. All I saw was a big wall of water coming down on the place where her sun bed was. She was probably fast asleep. I'm absolutely devastated." - British resident Ben Chod
"If the body is in a condition to be moved, we put it into the mass burial pit and if it's too decomposed, we pour diesel over it and burn it with debris from thatched huts. Usually the pyres have 20 to 30 bodies at one go." - South Indian resident Subash
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