PC(USA) - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance - Photo essay - tsunami response in Thailand

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)


One fishing village in Thailand is recovering — a photo essay on tsunami response April 2005 Photos were taken by Eva Berglund, Church of Sweden/ACT


Nam Kem, a village dependent on fishing, was severely affected by the tsunami. Its quay was almost totally destroyed. Some larger fishing boats that were far out at sea on the day of the tsunami are still usable because they rode over the top of the wave before it slammed onto shore.	Activity at the fish market resumed almost three weeks after the tsunami. This day's catch was good — four to five tons of fish. The different kinds of fish will be transported to Singapore, Malaysia and fish factories in Thailand.

	Before the tsunami, Penstri Jusiripongkul owned nine fishing boats. Only four remain. The fishermen who were out at sea the day of the tsunami are still afraid. Some lost their wives and children and went home to relatives who live away from the coast. Forty out of the 90 fishermen who worked for Jusiripongkul have returned to work. Jusiripongkul managed to escape the wave by climbing up a big tree, but was left without a car or house. It will cost about two million Thai baht (about US $50,500) to repair all of the damage, only ten percent of which has been received from the government.

Many workers for fishing businesses are from Burma. Some prefer to stay on land and sort fish rather than going out to sea. Workers usually form a cooperative together with the owner of a boat. In a span of two weeks, workers can earn about 5,000 baht (about US $126).

Close to a fish market, a group of men are repairing their fishing boats. They are a different size and capacity than their previous boats, but they are essential to the way they earn their living. These fishermen are currently staying in temporary shelters and are relying on relief. This fisherman has prepared new cages for catching cuttlefish. When his boat is repaired, he will start fishing again.		Sompong Pancho has started to repair his boat, but the 70,000 baht (about US $1,770) he has received from the government is not enough to cover all of the repairs. He will need more than 100,000 baht, but he has not been earning an income for almost three months. What he needs most is wood for the hull. Because so many boats are in need of repair or need to be replaced, the price of wood, which is imported from Laos, has gone up recently. If he is able to receive financial assistance, he can do the work himself.

	To other photos of tsunami response To tsunami response page



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