
PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK
(PDMIN)
1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000
Telephone: 808.433.7035 · PDMIN@coe-dmha.org
· http://www.coe-dmha.org
August 18, 2005
Note: New content has
been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

Table of Contents:
Overview......................................page
2
Indonesia.....................................page
3-7
Sri
Lanka.....................................page 8-11
Thailand.......................................page
12-15
Overview
· The overall focus of attention is on
long-term recovery and rehabilitation for the December 26, 2004 earthquake and
tsunami disaster. The dead and
missing toll from tsunamis triggered by the undersea earthquake measuring 9.0
on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island was
232,010 (Jun-22, Reuters) people along the coastal areas of 11 countries in the
Indian Ocean. Over 1.7 million are
reported to be homeless.
· Tsunami-related deaths were recorded in
Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh,
Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The
loss of life was particularly severe in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and
Thailand. Nearly 166,000 dead and
missing are from Indonesia. The
dead and missing toll in Sri Lanka climbed to nearly 39,000. In India, at least 10,672 died in Tamil
Nadu State and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The death toll in Thailand is around 5,400, including about
1,953 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have been reported in the
other countries.
·
Coordination:
· Indian Ocean Earthquake-Tsunami Flash
Appeal Expenditure Tracking: http://ocha.unog.ch/ets/Default.aspx
· International Assistance:
· UN raised its initial appeal of US$977
million to US$1.086 billion.
(Apr-6, Reuters)
Reuters reports that
government and multilateral agencies have pledged around US$9 billion in aid
for nations affected by the disaster, while global private donations amounted
to almost US$5 billion. (Aug-11,
Reuters)
· Delegates of 27 Indian Ocean countries
decided to set up a network of seabed sensors and buoys as part of a tsunami
warning system. The system may be
in place by summer 2006, but some buoys may be in place by December. The three-day
forum in Perth Australia, which ended Friday, August 5, decided that seven
warning centers instead of one would be created. The centers will be based in Australia, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Thailand, Iran and Pakistan.
(Aug-11, BBC) At the meeting, it was also decided that India would be
the warning system’s first head, a position that will rotate every two years.
Indonesia and Mauritius were elected vice-chairs. (Aug-3,4 Reuters, AFP)
· Food: WFP expects to feed about 800,000
people in Indonesia for at least another year; in Sri Lanka, about 915,000
people being fed—distributions will discontinue in August and will give
way to targeted and recovery-oriented approaches; in Thailand, food assistance
provided to some 26,000.
· Health/Medical:
WHO estimates 500,000 people were injured. There were scattered reports of diarrhea, malaria, dengue,
measles, pneumonia, tetanus and skin infections, but no outbreaks.
· Security: Police superintendent and civilian killed in
violence in northern Sri Lanka late last week
Indonesia

Organization
Overview
…………………………………………………………page 4
Sectors……………………………………………………………page
5
Overview:
In
Finland, Indonesia’s Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin and the Free Aceh
Movement’s (GAM) Malik Mahmud signed a peace memorandum of understanding ending
30 years of conflict in which nearly 15,000 people died, mostly civilians. The
agreement is built on the understanding that GAM will not push for independence
and will be allowed to participate in Indonesian politics. The agreement calls
for the disarming and demobilization of GAM’s 3,000 members, the destruction of
their weapons by international monitors, and the removal of non-local
Indonesian military and police by the end of the year. Remaining Indonesian
security forces will be about 14,000 military and 9,000 police; any movement of
more than a platoon will require notification of international monitors. GAM
members jailed for political reasons will be released and an amnesty will be
offered. New laws will come into play, an election will occur in 2006, and a
human rights court and a truth and reconciliation commission will be
established. The European Union (EU) is taking the lead in the international
Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) with support from five Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith is
leading the mission and is in Aceh with core EU and ASEAN monitors. The AMM
team will officially begin on September 15th and will eventually grow to
200 to 300 unarmed members. Challenges are expected from hard-line Indonesian
security forces, GAM members, and government-supported militias, as there was
when East Timor voted for independence in 1999. On July 17, a draft peace agreement
between the Indonesian government and the GAM was agreed upon at the end
of a fifth round of peace talks in Helsinki, Finland, mediated by the
Helsinki-based Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), and headed by former Finnish
president Martti Ahtisaari. The European Union (EU) is expected to lead a
peace monitoring mission in Aceh, following the formal signing of the
peace deal. About 200 unarmed military and civilian officials from the EU
and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to monitor the
disarmament of GAM fighters and a military (TNI) troop withdrawal from the
province, which are key points of the peace agreement. The peace accord
has drawn widespread praise from the international community. In praise of the
agreement, former US President Bill Clinton, United Nations Special Envoy
overseeing Indian Ocean tsunami relief and recovery efforts, said, “In the
aftermath of the tsunami, the daunting recovery challenges in the region have
underscored the critical importance of political reconciliation in Aceh, and I
hope this agreement will lead to the peace and stability so critical to the
reconstruction process.”
|
Sector Status |
|
Affected Population
|
The death toll stands at 131,029, with some 37,000 others
reported to be missing. The Aceh Central Bureau of Statistics says that 7,000 surveyors
will launch a population census in Aceh to more accurately gauge how many
died from the disaster. Aceh had
a population of 4.2 million people, according to the 2003 national census. (July-5, AFP) The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias
(BRR - Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi) says that there are over 500,000 IDPs in Aceh and over
22,000 in Nias. In Aceh, about 250,000 are staying in tents, while about
150,000 are in temporary government shelters. The remaining 100,000 are either staying with host
families or are rebuilding their homes. (Jun-19, GoI) |
|
Coordination |
The BRR will oversee
reconstruction. The agency will be headed by former mines and energy
minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who will manage the US$4.84 billion
fund. (May-9, Reuters, BBC) The GoI has collaborated with NGOs and donors to initiate the
construction of the website, e-Aceh, in response to the need for transparency
and coordination of reconstruction.
(www.e-aceh.org) |
|
Logistics |
For more logistical
information see: http://www.unjlc.org. |
|
Food |
WFP and Save the Children (SC) completed distribution for
July reaching as many as 125,000 beneficiaries, primarily IDPs in
Lhokseumawe, Aceh Utara, and Bireuen.
Save the Children (SC) submitted a proposal for distribution to
111,015 IDPs for the month of August. (Aug-12, WFP) Christian Children’s Fund (CCF) reports a nutritional
assessment of children conducted at 20 of their sites in Banda Aceh finds 11
percent children between the ages of 3 to 5 are exhibiting some stage of
malnutrition. According to World
Health Organization (WHO) standard anything beyond 10 percent is critical. (Aug-12, Reliefweb) World Vision says it has
distributed some 2,000 MT of food to over 130,000 recipients in Aceh over the
past month. Rations are supplied
by the WFP. IOM says numbers
have gradually increased over the past few months. Monthly distributions are taking place in and near the
cities of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.
(Aug-4, WVI) IFRC says total number of
beneficiaries currently registered and possessing ration cards for food and
non-food relief aid is 437,445 and the number is increasing. (July-28, IFRC) WFP expects to feed up to 800,000 people for another year. (June 22, Reuters) |
|
Water
and Sanitation |
IFRC says overall water
distribution figure for Aceh and North Sumatra stands at more than 1 million
liters per day. IFRC says water
and sanitation activities continue to benefit some 113,000 beneficiaries. (Aug-11, IFRC) |
|
Public
Health/Medical |
The Ministry of Health
will begin a mass immunization campaign against polio on August 30. UNICEF and WHO are providing
assistance to this campaign. (Aug-15, Reliefweb) The World Health
Organization (WHO) has established an integrated health emergency unit for
distaster response, located at the Ministry of Health in Jakarta. The unit is
coordinating inputs and tracking progress of ongoing activities in disaster
affected areas. (Aug-15, Reliefweb) WHO says that access to health
services, mental illness and the potential threat of disease remain daily
challenges to Aceh residents.
(Aug-11, Reuters) IOM building more than 50
satellite health clinics to help those living in temporary living
facilities. (July-19, IOM) West coast lost some 50-70 percent of its health services. (Jan-24, The Age) Tsunami destroyed 30 health clinics out of 240, seriously damaged 77, and caused minor damage to 40 others. (Jan-18, UNJLC) |
|
Shelter |
The Canadian Red Cross
(CRC) has committed to rebuild 12,500 homes in Aceh and Nias, with 6,000
homes to be rebuilt in Aceh and 2,500 in Nias by the end of 2005 and an
additional 4,000 in Aceh to be completed by 2007. (Aug-14,
Indonesia-Relief.org) Taiwan Buddhist Tzu
Chi Foundation will begin construction in August on 3,700 permanent homes to
be built in Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh, and Aceh Barat over the next year.
(Aug-17, Reliefweb) The IFRC has committed to
build, as of August 1, more than 27,000 permanent new homes and to repair
more than 7,000 other houses. IFRC estimates that more than 65,000 people are
living in government-built barracks and says that many of these will need
repair in the upcoming months. IFRC will help build extensions to existing
homes to alleviate overcrowding for an estimated 16,500 families living with
host families. The UN estimates
the displaced could be living with host families for one to two years. IFRC will also replace some 33,000 tents
which have reached the end of their life-span. (Aug-11, IFRC)
|
|
Infrastructure |
According to the World Bank, less than 25% of the 300,000
tsunami-hit land parcels in Aceh were titled before the tsunami struck.
(Aug-16, Reuters) The UN said that the tsunami eroded some 97 percent of the GDP
in Aceh, amounting to an estimated US$4.5 billion in damage. (July-15, The
Jakarta Post) 116,880
houses were destroyed or damaged in 2,496 villages throughout 17 affected
regencies (kabupaten) from a total of 21 in Aceh. Of these, 57% were destroyed and 12% sustained major
damage. The total amount of
settlement areas affected by the tsunami amounted to 173,673 hectares
(429,200 acres), of which 35% of the villages were completely destroyed. (Jun-19, GoI, IOM) |
|
Security |
Police reminded
international NGOs and UN agencies not to travel after dark in South Nias
district after a riot on July 18. (Aug-12, WFP) UN Department of Safety and
Security (UNDSS) reports a reduction in the number of clashes in Aceh after
July 2005. However, UNJLC
reports that UN staff are still being cautioned to retain a low profile. (Aug-11, UNJLC) |
|
International
Financial Assistance |
The Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) reports it has raised US$1.3 billion to help victims in
Indonesia. (July-1, Indonesia-Relief.org) GOI put the December tsunami/earthquake losses at
US$4.5 billion. The Consultative
Group on Indonesia, made up of 30 international lenders, pledged US$1.7
billion in tsunami aid for 2005, consisting of US$1.2 billion in grants and
US$500 million in soft loans. GoI will accept the offer of a debt moratorium from the
Paris Club. The total debt on
which repayment will be delayed is US$2.6 billion. (Mar-14, Tempo Interactive) Indonesia has some US$48
billion in foreign debt to donor countries under the Paris Club. (Mar-14,
Xinhua) The World Bank
says that about US$500 million has been raised from foreign donors for
reconstruction thus far. The
Steering Committee of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Aceh and North Sumatra
will manage the funds. (Jun-26,
AFP) BRR head Kuntoro says that
around US$2.8 billion is ready to be spent on reconstruction projects in
Aceh, out of which about US$1.9 billion had come from international and
private sector donors. (Jun-25,
Reuters) Indonesian House of Representatives on June 4 approved 8.2 trillion
rupiah (US$863 million) for fiscal year 2005 for Aceh and Nias (Jun-12, GOI) |
Sri Lanka

Overview…………………………………………………..page
8
Sectors…………………………………………………….page
9
Overview:
Norwegian peace brokers held talks with
the chief negotiator for Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
rebels yesterday (Wednesday, August 17) in an effort to save a three-year-old
ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel
group. The ceasefire has been in jeopardy since last week’s (Friday,
August 12) assassination of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Lakshman
Kadirgamar. Several members of the international community including the
United Nations, US, and Norway publicly condemned the assassination. Meanwhile Erik Solheim, Norway’s chief
peace broker, has described the killing as a “major setback” for the peace
process and Hagrup Haukland, the chief Norwegian peace monitor, called the
assassination is a “big blow” to the ceasefire and the whole peace process
irrespective of who is behind it. In an attempt to salvage the
peace process, Norway’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Peterson and his deputy
Vidar Helgesen met yesterday (August 17) with LTTE’s chief negotiator, Anton
Balasingham. Earlier, Norwegian mediators held talks with Sri Lankan
officials who, according to anonymous sources, want to renegotiate the 2002
Oslo-brokered truce to give more powers to the monitoring mission so they can
impose sanctions when a party is guilty of a serious violation.
In a televised address last Sunday
(August 14), Kumaratunga directly placed the blame on the LTTE saying
Kadirgamar had joined “a long list of distinguished Tamil leaders…murdered by
the LTTE.” She said the incident is the latest in a series of violations
of the 2002 Oslo ceasefire agreement. However, a pro-LTTE website denied
LTTE’s involvement in Kadirgamar’s assassination saying the Sri Lankan military
should be looking for the killers within its own ranks. Despite
accusations over the Kadirgamar’s assassination, Kumaratunga has said that her
government remains committed to the ceasefire but has called on the rebels to
renounce violence before the peace process can get back on track. SP
Thamilselvan, chief of LTTE’s political wing, is also saying the group had no
plans to return to the armed struggle in their campaign for self-rule for Tamil
areas in the north and the east of the country. In an interview to
Reuters, Thamilselvan said, “War is not an option” adding, “But if war is
thrust upon Tamil people, we will have no option but to face it.” As the Sri Lankan government and LTTE
attempt to work through this crisis with the Norwegian peace brokers, the Sri
Lankan government extended by one month the state of emergency that was
declared following the Kadirgamar’s assassination for one month to ensure security
the aftermath of this setback. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities have
detained 14 individuals with suspected links to LTTE.
|
Sector Status |
|
|
Affected
Population |
Sri Lanka
has combined the figures for its dead and missing into one figure for dead
and presumed dead and missing.
The combined total stands at 38,940. (Jun-22, Reuters) Of
the total, approximately 5,000 have been declared missing. (May-3, DPA) The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
says that some 518,698 people remain displaced with most living with
relatives and friends, some in “collective accommodation centers” or in
camps. UNICEF says that
according to the GoSL, 800,000 people were initially displaced. |
|
Coordination
|
An August report,
“Listening to those Who Lost”, published by the Sri Lankan Institute for
Policy Studies and the World Bank, highlights the challenges and limitations
in coordination and cooperation in relation to housing, homelessness, and
rebuilding. (Aug-16, Reliefweb;IPS) The Task Force for Rebuilding
the Nation (TAFREN) has established a Helpline to provide information for
queries of tsunami-affected in the country. (July-7, UNOCHA) Joint mechanism deal,
officially known as the Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure (P-TOMS)
to allow committees from the LTTE, the government and Muslims to discuss and
monitor tsunami aid projects.
Sri Lankan Supreme Court temporarily blocked the deal and is expected
to decide on a ruling in September.
The Task Force for Relief (TAFOR) will collate and
analyze data, coordinate and facilitate relief measures connected to
healthcare, education, foreign donor assistance and food relief. TAFOR will
be based and managed from the Ministry of Defense. Another task force, Task
Force for the Reconstruction of the Nation (TAFREN), has been given
responsibility of spearheading reconstruction, assessing the damages, and
coming up with a master plan to rebuild infrastructure. Food relief will be
channeled through the Ministry for Relief, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation
(RRR) together with Commissioner General of
Essential Services (CGES).
Responsibilities connected to IDPs, Transit Camps, and liaison with
the District Secretaries will be the task of the CGES. (Feb-9, UNJLC) UNDP in Colombo says that
relief work is being conducted in the country with little or no consultation
with affected people. To remedy
this problem, UNDP says that it will hold consultations in 1,100 villages in
11 tsunami-hit districts. The
program will be assisted by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and
Colombo University, who will present the findings to TAFREN and the Ministry
of Finance and Planning. (Aug-8,
Hindustan Times) For further information, check the TAFREN website at http://www.tafren.gov.lk/ or the CNO website
at http://www.cnosrilanka.org/
The Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation’s website, www.mrrr.lk
contains additional information.
Information
on many NGO activities can be obtained from the following link: http://www.humanitarian-srilanka.org/
(under Tsunami 2004 Information Center) |
Logistics
|
For logistical information see: http://www.unjlc.org. |
|
Food
|
WFP says it is feeding some 915,000 people. Food distributions will discontinue
in August and will give way to targeted and recovery-oriented
approaches. (Jun-27, WFP) WFP
says targeted feeding currently reaches 260,000 mothers and children through
Maternal Child Health projects and 144,000 children through school feeding
programs. (Jun-27, WFP) |
Water and
Sanitation |
IFRC says
it is producing and distributing over 3 million litres of water a week, which
benefits up to 50,000 people. |
|
Public Health
and Medical |
|
|
Shelter
|
IFRC says it has pledged to build up to 15,000 houses. IFRC currently has sites confirmed
for over 2,800 houses. (Aug-11,
IFRC) IOM has built more than 2,100 transitional homes and expects to
build 3,000 before the onset of the eastern monsoon. (July-22, IOM) World Bank in Sri Lanka found about 90,000 homes fully or
partially destroyed. The Bank has allocated initial US$40 million for
permanent housing cash grants. (June-2, World Bank) TAFREN chair Mano Tittawela said that 7,000 permanent houses
have been completed and said that 80 percent of the required permanent
housing for the displaced will be completed before the end of this year. (July-7, GoSL) IOM says it has finished about 2,000 transitional homes as of
this week. IOM reports that the
GoSL has said more than 40,000 transitional houses island-wide have been
completed, but 20 percent do not meet minimum standards. (Jul-12, IOM) |
Infrastructure
|
The European
Commission released US $55.8 million of the US $123.6 million pledged for
long-term post-tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka. This funding disbursement will primarily cover coastal
road reconstruction in eastern and southern Sri Lanka. (Aug-12, Xinhua) The Ministry of Tourism and
the Sri Lanka Tourist Board have reportedly developed short- to long-term
recovery plans for 15 coastal towns in Galle district. The resort towns will reportedly be
master-planned. UNOCHA reports
the return of local and foreign tourists in Galle town and nearby popular
local beaches. (Aug-11, UNOCHA) SP Thamilselvan, chief of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said that more than US$1 billion was needed to rebuild Tamil areas A total of 77,561 houses have been damaged or destroyed by the
tsunami, including 41,393 houses that were completely washed away, according
to the Census and Statistics Department. (Apr-29, Daily News) The Minister of Agriculture says that direct damage to the
farmers of the tsunami was some US$3.5 million. |
Security
|
Increased tension and violence have led to restricted
movement of UN staff and stringent checkpoint measures particularly in areas
of Kilinochchi and Poonahari Division. (Aug-12, WFP) |
|
International Financial Assistance |
Officials say that international
donations and debt relief have reached some US$3 billion over a period of
three to five years, nearly twice as much as what the government has
estimated it will cost to rebuild. (May-20, Reuters) The government has estimated that it will cost up to US$1.6
billion to rebuild infrastructure destroyed or damaged. The so-called
Paris Club of rich creditor nations in March offered to freeze Sri Lanka’s
$300 million in debt payments until the end of 2005. The government has
said it wishes to see that extended for three years. (May-11, AFP) The Paris Club has agreed to allow
the deferred payments to be repaid over five years, with a one-year grace
period. Sri Lanka owes the Paris Club some US$4.6 billion. |
Thailand

Overview.
………………………………………………. page 12
Sectors……………………………………………………page
13
Overview:
At least
2,010 bodies of tsunami victims have now been identified at the Thai Tsunami
Victim Identification (TVVI) center in Phuket. Another 1,767 bodies still await
identification. Most are thought to be Thais or Burmese workers, and only 207
are thought to be non-Burmese foreigners. NGOs say that many bodies of Burmese
migrant workers remain unidentified.
Pol Maj
Gen Udom Raksiltham, Deputy Commander of the TVVI Information Management Center
(IMC) says the identification effort will continue until December 2005, at
which the situation will be re-evaluated. (Aug-6-12, Phuket Gazette)
|
|
|
|
Affected
Population |
Latest death toll issued by
the Thai Ministry of Interior Department of Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation (DDPM) is at 5,395.
The number of Thai deceased is at 1,972 and foreign nationals at
2,248, with another 1,175 of unknown nationality. Number of missing is at 2,817. Of those, 1,924 are Thais. (May 13, UN) The TVVI has sent
3,241 DNA samples abroad to the International Commission of Missing Persons
in Bosnia, Beijing Genomic Center in China, the National Board of Forensic
Medicine in Sweden and 260 to agencies in other countries. Some 120 foreign
workers from 20 different countries are still working on the effort,
including New Zealand, Canada and Norway. (Aug-6-12, Phuket Gazette) The Tsunami Action Group
(TAG), a migrant advocate group, and the Law Society of Thailand have
estimated that between 700 and 2,500 Myanmar migrant workers went missing.
Many of them were not officially registered, and do not appear to be included
in the official list of the killed. (June-8, Amnesty International) Other
estimates have the number at 1,000 to 7,000. (Jun-27, Irrawaddy) World Vision International
(WVI) says that it has assisted sea gypsies along Rawai beach, Phuket with
clothing donations. WVI says it
is the only NGO working in the area.
Most of the affected are from the Moken tribe. The Community Organizations
Development Institute (CODI) estimates some 1,000 sea gypsy households have
been affected by the disaster. (Aug-4, WVI) In Phang Nga and Krabi
provinces, UNDP and UN Habitat are working with indigenous communities and
the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) to ensure the tenure
of community land. (Aug-11,
UNCTT) Land title disputes
continue to slow down recovery in Phang Nga and other affected provinces. The
World Bank is working with authorities to ensure access to legal assistance
by vulnerable groups. (Aug-11, UNCTT) |
|
Coordination |
The government continues to pay out compensation and
relief assistance, as scheduled. According to the Department of Disaster
Prepardeness & Mitigation (DDPM), further assistance totaling 1.43
billion baht is still needed in the affected areas. (Aug-11, UNCTT) The government has provided assistance to tsunami victims
totaling nearly US$9 million (355, 727,050 baht). Thailand’s
National Disaster Warning Center, the first among tsunami-affected countries,
formally opened on May 30. In the first phase, it will focus on earthquakes
and tsunamis before extending to other disasters. (May-31, Bangkok Post) The Donor Assistance Database (DAD) is being updated to include
UN tsunami program tracking, and is expected to be completed by the end of
the month. The DAD was installed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the
help of UNDP to aid tracking of assistance to the country. Information will
be updated on a monthly basis, according top UNCTT. (Aug-11, UNCTT) |
|
Logistics |
For logistical information see: http://www.unjlc.org. |
Food
|
|
|
Water/Sanitation |
|
|
Public
Health/Medical |
A Disease Control
Department official, who asked to remain anonymous, says that budget
constraints and violence are the reason for the sharp rise in malaria cases
in the country’s three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and
Pattani. The department says 2,534 people in the provinces were infected
between January and June, an almost 150% jump from 2004. (Aug-3, Bangkok Post) |
|
Shelter |
Anupong Sungauannam,
president of the Association of Tourism Operators, about 80 percent of
housing will be available this month for residents in Phang Nga province.
About 50 percent have received some government assistance. (Aug-14, The
Nation) World Vision is
building 800 homes in the five affected provinces of Phuket, Ranong, Krabi,
Trang and Phang Nga. The NGO is also providing livelihood materials in Phang
Nga, including tricycles and fishing boats. (Aug-15, World Vision) Ministry of Social Protection
estimates number of people still living in shelters in Phang Nga and Krabi
provinces have fallen from approximately 7,000 people at the beginning of
July to 1,200 people in Phang Nga and 4,000 people in Krabi as of early
August. (Aug-11, UNCTT) |
|
Infrastructure |
Australia
will fund a Thai marine research and management mission to Queensland state,
Australia, as part of Australia’s A$400,000 support program for tsunami
recovery in Thailand. The program is organized with AUSAid. (Aug-6, The
Nation) Tsunami-affected
areas in worst-hit Phang Nga province are expected to operate only 20 percent
of hotel room capacity by the end of this year as there have been a long
delay in loans for reconstructions. According to sources much of the slowness
in funds has been due to red tape. So far, only half of the rehabilitation of
public services, infrastructure and town planning has been completed.
(Aug-14, The Nation) The UNCTT says that the GoT has continued to pay out
compensation and relief assistance, however, the Thai Ministry of Interior
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reports that as of
August 1, further assistance totaling 1.43 billion baht (US$35 million) is
still needed in the affected provinces. (Aug-11, UNCTT) |
|
Security |
The US,
Britain and Australia have issued travel warnings to its citizens, advising
against non-essential travel to the south. Insurgency violence
continues in three southernmost provinces (Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani). |
|
International
Financial Assistance |
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has set aside US$1.7 million
for Thailand, to help develop long-term solutions for tsunami-affected areas,
especially Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga.
Funds will come from the Asian Tsunami Fund, which was set up by the
ADB in February with an initial contribution of US$600 million. (July-12, Phuket Gazette) |