Phuket Tsunami Mysteries Allow Superstitions to Grow
THE TSUNAMI of December 26, 2004, ripped through the coastal buildings of Phuket and the Andaman, depositing sand in the top pocket of a man’s suit found hanging days later, in a third-floor room closet.
Like it or not, Phuket and the Andaman remain in a tsunami zone. And this year’s sixth anniversary has finally brought widespread acceptance that tsunami preparedness should be perpetual, and that there will be no point at which the potential for a second disaster can be ignored.
The national disaster authorities have been quick to highlight the placement of two new warning buoys off the coast. Local firemen, relief organisations and hospitals regularly show their preparedness in drills.
But the resorts? The resorts, the vital link in between the offshore warnings and escape for tourists on Phuket and the Andaman coast, stay silent.
