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04 Jan 2005
2004 Tsunami Disaster Information

News, Reports from Affiliates in the tsunami affected areas and How You Can Help.

S.U.B. Draft Report

Thanks to the Port Authority of Thailand Labour Union and with the support of the ITF Tokyo Office, the Seafarers Union of Burma (S.U.B) went on the following firsthand looks trip to the Tsunami-ravaged provinces of Thailand.

On 7 Jan 2005

-- At around 9:00 o’clock we started leaving from Bangkok for Phuket

-- At around 12:00 o’clock we arrived Phuket and stayed for night at PS Inn Hotel

-- We had firsthand looks of debris and damages along the roads between Takuapa and Phang Nga while driving on a car

8 Jan 2005

-- We visited one of the ravaged sites in Phuket beach and Saphan Phla on Siray Island

-- There we had firsthand looks at the situation after tsunami – more damages to fishing boats though little or no casualties of fishery seafarers in Phuket areas

-- The friends (Taplamu Naval Base Hospital) of brother from Thai Tourism Authority Union helped us to see fishing boat owner who suffered many losses of their business (fishing boats) and short of labourers

-- Fishery Pier Organization at Ratsada Harbour in Muang District. There are about 50 shipowners (employers) and around 450-500 fishing boats. Among them 60 percent were damaged. There were 12,000 fishery labourers (Burmese) and some were injured by tsunami. After that, 90 percent requested the owners to go back home according to the local sources

-- Bang Rong Pier at Palang District. All were the native fishermen (Thai people) and 80 percent of fishing boats were damaged.

-- We visited Taplamu Pier in Takuapa where one Navy ship was aground because of tsunami

-- We visited Baan Nam Khen where the whole village including the fishermen families (2,000 or 3,000 Burmese migrant fishery seafarers) was swept away and severely damaged by tsunami – heavy damages and high casualties

Phang-nga (The most severely ravaged province for fishery seafarers)

Phang-nga has an area of 4,170.895-sq.km., a large part of which is forests. Phang-nga has 118 islands. Its boundaries are as follows:

North: connects with Ranong and Surat Thani

East: connects with Surat Thani and Krabi

South: connects with Phuket and the Andaman Sea

West: connects with the Andaman Sea

-- Taplamu Pier in Takuapa District -- There are about 35 owners and 350 fishing boats which were damaged 90 percent. There were 10,500 labourers and 80 percent are Burmese and Thai composed 20 per cent. Two percent was injured and they were mostly women and children. They requested to go back home (95 %). Thai officials, World Vision and Burmese organizations in Ranong rendered necessary assistance in their repatriation.

9 Jan 2005

-- Baan Nam Khen (Muban)
-- 5 per cent Burmese fishery seafarers were still in there to continue fishing work and now they are also helping to clear the debris and damages
-- Almost all went back home and some are hiding in forest (Rubber estate)
-- All are under Thai Government and NGOs arrangement (Relief efforts)
-- They are also removing and helpful to find and bring the bodies
-- They work together with Thai people in relief efforts
-- They are very good in activities after tsunami with Thai people/owners/managers
-- There are estimated 1,500 fishermen excluding their families
-- I met one of the fishery seafarers named Win Than
-- He said 200 or 300 Burmese migrant fishery workers and families died in tsunami
-- He saw 300 deportees – 2 Hino buses bringing women and children, and 2 police lock-up cars carrying fishermen
-- He gave all total numbers of fishermen and families at around 2,000 in the before tsunami in that fishery village
-- He pointed out one location – Nam Yai – where there are approximately 3,000 Burmese migrants now including run-away from Phang-nga and Baan Nam Khen

Since the relief efforts to Tsunami victims by international organizations are well sufficient to both foreigners and Thai, the Burmese fishery migrants are still in dire need of help and assistance from every available source. Some of the Burmese organizations are doing onsite relief efforts in rendering assistance to Burmese migrants.

After tsunami, most migrants were returning back home. The following data was collected by the World Vision (NGO) which is helping tsunami victims in relief efforts.

-- After tsunami effects, Burmese migrants were facing shock feeling and lack of work as the fishery business had been affected severely and went down very rapidly.

-- Among the Tsunami-affected migrants, some injured and laid-out workers were temporarily taken care and given shelter at the Royal Thai primary school in Thong-Kha in Ranong Province.

-- On 28 December 2004 the relief camp in Ranong started received tsunami victims (215 total including men, women and children)

-- On 29 December 2004 Ranong Province Immigration transferred 115 to Kawthoung Immigration (Burmese border town). Then, they accepted again 233 and this number added into the remaining ones at total 333

-- On 30 December 2004 the relief camp transferred 133 to Immigration and there remained 200 at camp
-- On 31 December 2004, 197 more arrived to the camp and total number reached at 397. World Vision (NGO) started to conduct health care within the camp

-- On 2 Jan 2005, out of 397 in the camp 100 were transferred to Immigration for repatriation

-- On 4 Jan 2005, out of 297 100 were repatriated again to Kawthoung

-- On 6 Jan 2005, out of 197 100 were repatriated and there remained 97 at the camp

-- On 8 Jan 2005, all the remaining 97 at the camp were repatriated

-- The relief camp is reported to be opened till 30 Jan 2005-01-15

The following is the inside information (Kawthoung - border town) from our contact in Ranong:-

Aung Gyi Village
1. 62 houses were completely destroyed
2. Total villagers 2224 and out of those 303 villagers were homeless
3. Four motorcycles were lost
4. Eight small boats were lost
5. School stationery for students

Urgent needs are:
1. Fresh waters
2. Clothes
3. Mosquito nets
4. Foods
5. Medicines etc.

Aung Bar San Pya Village (Bank of Tone Lone Ma)
1. Three houses fell down to ground
2. One bridge was damaged
3. Ten fishing boats were lost
4. One people injured named Ko Kyaw Htoo

Kan Pon Mar Tam (Bank of Thu Gyi)
1. 30 houses were damaged
2. Four houses were completely fell down to ground
3. Total five peoples (1 woman and 4 men) were dead

Urgent needs are:
1. Fresh water
2. School stationery for students

Seafarers Union of Burma

Date published: 17 January 2005  
Source: Seafarers Union of Burma