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Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update

 

October 6, 2005

 

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

Overview......................................page 2-3

Indonesia.....................................page 4-8

Sri Lanka.....................................page 9-13

Thailand.......................................page 14-16

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’s Aceh province. 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:

 

·          The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said Wednesday (October 5) that it had received US$1.5 billion dollars for tsunami relief and has pledged full accountability for the sum. The IFRC says that for Indonesia alone, it has received US$600 million dollars. (DPA, Oct-5)

 

·          According to a report by the IFRC, many aid agencies wasted money after the disaster by failing to consult with the UN, survivors, or other relief agencies. Large amounts of clothing donated to victims following the disaster also went to waste because of poor communication. The annual report, “World Disasters Report 2005” released by the IFRC this week highlighted that despite a huge international response, competition and duplication of effort caused “chaos.” (CNN, Oct-6)

 

·          India has reportedly approved a plan to set up an early warning system for ocean disasters like tsunamis on Thursday (October 6). The Indian government says the US$28.2 million monitoring system will be set up at Hyderabad in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and is likely to become operational by September 2007. (Reuters, Oct-6)

 

·    The UN says that in an unprecedented response, donors have poured more than US$11 billion into relief and reconstruction following the earthquake and tsunami disaster, but are neglecting other emergencies. Egeland says that donors already met around 90 percent of the UN’s own US$1.28 billion appeal for funds for immediate and interim relief. According to Reuters Alertnet, governments, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have paid or approved US$5.7 billion, or some 80 percent of the US$67.1 billion they had promised. (Sep-23, Reuters)

 

·    The United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) will exit its tsunami mission on September 30, 2005. The final UNJLC Bulletin on the Indian Ocean Tsunami Operation was issued on September 28. It will be replaced with the UN Logistics Coordination Support (LCS) bulletin’s first edition on October 4, 2005. The UNJLC IOT website will reportedly soon be replaced by the LCS website. (Sep-28, UNJLC) At the request of the Government of Indonesia and the UN Country Team, a UN logistics coordination service, called the UN Logistics Coordination Support (LCS) will be established to provide integrated, multi-modal logistics coordination support to aid groups during reconstruction. UNJLC’s staff in Indonesia will reportedly provide the staffing. (Sept-8, UNJLC)

 

·      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: Bomb explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka injures at least 1; Insurgency violence continues in southern Thailand.

Indonesia

 

Organization

 

Overview …………………………………………………………page 5

 

Sectors……………………………………………………………page 5

Overview:

 

Peter Feith, head of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) charged with overseeing the withdrawal of Indonesian troops and the disarmament of Aceh separatist rebels, said Wednesday (October 5) that the AMM would switch its focus to promoting human rights in the province next year. Feith says that he wants to finish the “military” part of the mission by December 26, as it is a “very symbolic date,” referring to the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami disaster of last year which devastated the province.  Feith says that meeting that deadline would mean that “Aceh has turned the page, that stability and peace have returned to the province.” He says that team members with military backgrounds would be replaced with human rights experts in March of next year.  The results of the mission so far have been “satisfying,” Deutsche Presse Agentur quoted Feith as saying. 

 

Feith has also urged Indonesia to examine the cases of about 100 prisoners who may have been missed under an amnesty issued by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in August, as part of the peace deal between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels and the Indonesian government.  According to Reuters, Feith asked Jakarta to study whether detainees had a claim to amnesty and said he would use his power to rule on any disputed cases.  “If there is no agreement, it is up to the head of mission to take a view on this,” Feith said.  He said that he was confident that Jakarta would rule fairly on the cases but said things were complicated because some of the detainees could be suspects who may be linked to the bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004.  As key parts of the August 15th peace deal, the rebels had agreed to give up their demands for independence and to disarm, while the government offered the GAM amnesty, the right to political representation, and a partial withdrawal of security troops from the province.  Feith says that the initial round of the decommissioning of GAM weapons and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops, had resulted in the decommissioning of 240 firearms and the withdrawal of around 6,000 troops from Aceh.  “These initial results are satisfying,” Feith said.  He added that he expected a second phase of decommissioning and disarmament to begin on October 15.  According to the monitoring body, the Indonesian government has withdrawn 6,671 soldiers and 1,300 police from Aceh, while GAM rebels have surrendered 243 weapons.  Under the peace pact, the rebels are expected to hand over 840 firearms in four stages until the end of the year.  The government will proportionally withdraw all non-local military and police troops.

 

Sector Status

Affected Population

The death toll stands at 131,029, with some 37,000 others reported to be missing.

 

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 has requested that NGOs engaged in rehabilitation and reconstruction to submit progress reports on their ongoing activities. BRR is currently collating data from implementing NGOs ahead of the Aceh Recovery Forum and the Consultative Group on Indonesia meeting scheduled for October. BRR says that it is requiring NGOs to submit their first report by September 16 and the second report by December 2. BRR says NGOs can access guidelines and monitoring forms from www.e-aceh-nias.org (BRR website) or by requesting forms at projects@brr.go.id (Sep-6, GoI)

 

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 currently operating three general activities: General Food Distribution (GFD), a School Feeding Program (SFP), and a Maternal Child Nutritional (MCN) program. GFD will only target vulnerable groups over the coming months. However, supplementary feeding activities will increase. SFP expected to reach 340,000 and MCN plans to reach 180,000 beneficiaries by December.

 

WFP currently supplying daily rations to some 650,000 people. 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 World Health Organization (WHO) has established an integrated health emergency unit for disaster 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)

 

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

BRR says the first large-scale building of homes has been completed in Aceh, with around 10,000 houses ready for survivors. A small number has been built on Nias Island. The agency says that another 20,000 houses were under construction. (Reuters, Sep-30)

 

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it was working with other agencies to import and distribute 27,000 large tents to replace smaller tents initially donated after the disaster. Another 15,000 pre-fabricated temporary housing units, enough for some 60,000 people, are expected in November. (Sep-23, AFP)

 

The BRR head says that so far, the agency has built about 6,300 houses, including 870 in Banda Aceh. He says that by the end of December, the agency hopes to have completed 30,000 permanent houses.

 

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)

 

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

GoI says that of an estimated 57,758 hectares (142,700 acres) of devastated land, 20,000 hectares (17,300 acres) has been targeted for rehabilitation for 2005. BRR will rehabilitate 7000 hectares (49,420 acres), while the other 13,000 hectares (142,700 acres) will be rehabilitated by groups such as the ADB, USAID and UNFAO. (GoI, Sep-26)

 

IOM will build 200 transitional schools in Aceh for around 44,000 students. The US$2.3 million project is funded by UNICEF. (Aug-30, IOM)

 

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

WFP has been appointed as the UN Agency Focal Point for Security in Medan. (WFP)

International Financial Assistance

The Government of Sweden announced Thursday (October 6) that it would provide debt relief of US$4.3 million to Indonesia. (GoS, Oct-6)

 

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the international community to disburse more of the billions of dollars of aid pledged for Aceh. Yudhoyono said that only around a third of the US$3.5 billion earmarked for Indonesia has been disbursed. Yudhoono also called on aid agencies to speed up construction efforts, saying that only 6,000 of the 100,000 homes needed have been built.

 

The World Bank says that reconstruction and monetary aid pouring into Aceh could put livelihoods at risk once the money dries up unless the economy is strengthened. World Bank data shows the province’s annual inflation rate at 17 percent, versus 7 percent in other parts of Indonesia. Reuters reports that Aceh’s unemployment rate is at 27 percent and around 600,000 people will be pushed below the poverty line, with daily earnings below US$1 within the next 6 to 18 months. (Aug-25, Reuters)

 

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)


Sri Lanka

 

 

Overview…………………………………………………..page 10

 

Sectors…………………………………………………….page 10

 

Overview:

 

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday (October 4) sought to clarify its position regarding Norway as facilitators of the peace process in Sri Lanka, saying that Sri Lankan media reports suggesting that the EU was snubbing Norway were “false and highly misleading.”  On September 27, the European Union (EU) said that it would not meet with visiting LTTE delegates because of continued “violence and terrorism” by the rebel group.  A statement this week from the British High Commission in Colombo said: “In fact, the Declaration underlined the 19 September Statement of the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference which specifically expressed continuing support for the role of Norway as facilitator of the peace process.  The EU continues to give its fullest possible support to the Norwegian facilitation of the peace process.”  Britain currently holds the presidency of the EU.  The statement says that most media had accurately reported on the EU’s decision not to receive delegations from the LTTE until further notice, however, some media reports had wrongly implied that the declaration was a “defeat” for Norway.  The LTTE had said that the EU’s decision was a setback for the peace process and has asked the EU to reconsider its ban. The statement said that the primary responsibility for taking forward the peace process in the country lay with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government.  “In its Co-Chair capacity, the EU will continue to help Norway wherever possible and to support both parties in their attempts to resume dialog and carry the peace process forward,” the statement added.  A 2002 Norwegian-brokered ceasefire ended major fighting, which saw over 64,000 people killed since the Tamil Tiger rebels began fighting for a separate state in 1983.  Peace talks broke down in 2003 after the LTTE withdrew from the talks, saying that the government was not living up to its promises.  The ceasefire has largely held, but the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August, as well as continued violence in the east, and recent violent incidents in the north, have threatened the shaky peace in the country.

 

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.

 

As of August, 2005, some 800,000 people remain displaced in Sri Lanka by both the island’s long-running civil war and the tsunami disaster, the Global IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Project of the Norwegian Refugee Council reports.  Around 457,500 people displaced by the tsunami are still living in temporary shelters or with friends and family. Another 347,500 people remain displaced by the conflict.  The tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004, had initially added one million displaced to the country. 

 

 

Coordination

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed an agreement with the GoSL to support the creation of computerized database centers to register people affected by the tsunami. Centers will be established at the Presidential and District Secretaries to collect information on the displaced and track the delivery of assistance to affected areas. According to IOM, the database will identify needs of tsunami-affected individuals on a case-by-case basis to ensure that people receive the assistance they need and avoid duplication. (Sept-9, IOM)

 

The UN Development Program (UNDP) announced the launching of the web portal, known as the Development Assistance Database (DAD), which will help to better coordinate and monitor post tsunami recovery aid. TAFREN is spearheading the online database with support from UNDP. The website can be found at: http://dad.tafren.gov.lk. (Sept-2, UNDP)

 

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.

 

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)

 

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 additional logistical information see: http://www.unjlc.org.

 

Food

The FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture distributed paddy and vegetable seed, fruit trees and fertilizer to some 2,000 tsunami-affected farmers in Galle, Hambantota, and Matara. This was the second distribution program in the south. Some 2,228 farmers received a similar distribution in April. (FAO, Oct-4)

 

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and FAO distributed 2,628 fishing nets and 90 engines to 248 tsunami-affected fishermen this week. (FAO, Oct-4)

 

UNOCHA reports WFP Food-for-Work rehabilitation activities/projects will be implemented from July to December and will benefit some 138,000 people. (Aug-26, UNOCHA)

 

WFP says it is feeding some 915,000 people.

Water and

Sanitation

A large-scale Red Cross assisted program on construction, rehabilitation and improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities in affected areas would be launched soon. The project will be implemented in Hambantota, Galle, Matara, Ampara and Jaffna districts at a cost of some US$100 million. (Aug-24, Xinhua)

 

IFRC says it is producing and distributing over 3 million liters of water a week, which benefits up to 50,000 people.

 

Public Health

and Medical

IOM has given medication to some 30,000 children in Mannar district, which will protect them up to a year from worms. The de-worming campaign is supported by AUSAID and will be complemented with other projects to promote better hygiene and health. (Sept-14, IOM)

 

Shelter

UNOCHA reports that 52,383 transitional shelters, housing some 250,000 displaced, have been constructed on 492 sites. A total of 55,000 transitional shelters are expected to have been completed by the end of September. (UNOCHA, Sep-29)

 

IOM says it has constructed over 3,000 transitional houses, which are designed to last between two to four years. An additional 512 are currently under construction. Land has been allocated for 3,910 homes in 7 districts. (Aug-19, UNOCHA)

 

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)

 

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 80 percent of the required permanent housing for the displaced will be completed before the end of this year. (July-7, GoSL)
Infrastructure

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved US$310 million in donor funding to reconstruct 1,137 kilometers (706 miles) of road and 25 bridges. The Cabinet has also approved the purchase of 100 new passenger train carriages for the Sri Lanka Railway Department. Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority estimates that some 2,425 kilometers (1,507 miles) of coastline out of a total of 2,825 kilometers (1,755 mile) was directly affected by the disaster. (Sept-22, UNOCHA)

 

SP Thamilselvan, chief of the political wing of the 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

Bomb explosion on Thursday (October 6) in Colombo injures 1 person.

 

The Sri Lankan government said September 16 that the state of emergency in the country would be extended for another month.

International Financial Assistance

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on September 12 delayed a hearing on a controversial government deal to share about US$3.2 billion in tsunami aid with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.  The court is expected to hold the hearing for the aid-sharing deal, formally known as the Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure (P-TOMS), on November 22.  That date falls after the November 21 deadline for the country’s presidential election. 

 

The database of Sri Lanka’s Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) shows that international donors had spent US$459 million dollars on tsunami relief projects as of July 31. In addition, actual pledges recorded on the database total US$1.04 billion dollars, short of the US$3.2 billion the government said it had received from international donors in May. However, TAFREN chief Mano Tittawella, said that the donor pledges would go up as figures are entered into the database. (Sept-2, AFP)

 

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 15

 

Sectors……………………………………………………page 15

 

Overview:

 

According to TNA, the Thai government will invite immediate relatives of over 2,400 victims who were killed and 11,000 others injured in the disaster to join anniversary memorials on December 26 at five locations in Thailand’s southern Andaman coastline. GoT will offer to pay for flights and hotel rooms. Some hoteliers have expressed skepticism at the plan, saying there might not be enough rooms for all. (TNA, The Nation, Oct-4, Oct-5)

 

The Chalong-based Thai Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) center is expected to close some time before the anniversary of the tsunami disaster on December 26, Pol Col Khemmarin Hassiri, Superintendent of the TTVI’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit said. However, the exact date the center will be closed has not been fixed. (Phuket Gazette, Oct-4)

 

The Pacific Air Travel Association says that many international airlines will resume or increase flights to tsunami-affected Phuket by December. (The Nation, Oct-7)

 


Sector Status

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 head of the victim identification centre, Police General Noppadol Somboonsub, says that by the end of 2006, investigators should finish identifying all the bodies of the people killed in Thailand by the tsunami. The Thai Tsunami Victim Identification (TTVI) Information Management Centre has identified around 2,200 bodies out of about 3,777. Foreign experts helping to identify unknown bodies killed in the disaster will leave Thailand by the end of the year when their Thai colleagues will take over, Somboonsub says. (Aug-25, Reuters)

 

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. (Aug-6-12, Phuket Gazette)

 

The Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma reported that 44 bodies of Burmese victims were identified in September. (Sep-26, Irrawaddy) 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) Some 30,000 Burmese workers were registered with the Thai government according to the Irrawaddy. (Irrawaddy, Oct-6)

Coordination

As of September 1, the Thai Government has funded some US$1.06 billion in emergency response and recovery which includes funding from the central budget, the Prime Minister’s Office and bank credit. The UN Country Team in Thailand reports that this shows an increase in spending of US$180 million in the last month. Over US$6 million was spent on general assistance to victims, and compensation to fisherfolk and beach vendors. The Relief Fund for Disaster Victims has disbursed about US$15 million as of the end of August 2005. The fund consists of private donations worth US$31.75 million. (Sept-9, UNCTT)

 

According to the UN Country Team in Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, announced towards the end of August that he was assigning three of his deputy prime ministers with specific responsibilities: Ministers Jarusombat and Liptapanplop are responsible for victim assistance in Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket, and Minister Krea-ngam will oversee disbursement of compensation funds. Minister Vejjajiva, from the Prime Minister’s Office, has been assigned overall responsibility for the country’s disaster alert system. (Sept-9, UNNCTT)

 

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 to UNCTT. (Aug-11, UNCTT)

Logistics

For logistical information see: http://www.unjlc.org.

Food

 

Water/Sanitation

 

Public Health/Medical

 

Shelter

World Vision is building 800 homes in the five affected provinces of Phuket, Ranong, Krabi, Trang and Phang Nga. (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

Phangnga province is reportedly building 4 warning towers in Takua Pa and Kuraburi districts which will be completed before the government’s warning towers are ready for use, TNA reports. The budget to build the warning towers comes from private funds and community organizations. They are expected to be finished in two months. (Sep-30, TNA)

 

Vice Minister Smith Tumsaroch, attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Senate Tourism Commission earlier this week that the country’s early warning system needs more funds to be completed. Smith warned that delays could result in further losses from tourism revenues. (TNA, Oct-6).

 

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)