A MSG FOR THAILAND TOURISTS AND DIVERS.

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From my friend in Kho Lanta and dive shop owner.

Dear Everyone,



Thank you again to everyone who has sent us such kind messages over the last few days – they are very much appreciated. Sorry we are unable to reply individually to everyone, but we have received a huge number of emails.



We would like to let everyone know what happened on the day of the tidal wave, and give an up to date account on the state of Ko Lanta – many people have said they are finding it very hard to find news coverage of Ko Lanta. We would also like to reassure people hoping to come to Ko Lanta that the island’s infrastructure remains largely unaffected and many of the islands hotels and guesthouses are untouched, although beach-front locations are having to re-build and everyone within the community is lending a helping hand. People on Ko Lanta are keen to encourage people to continue with their travel plans to Ko Lanta so that the local people here can start to rebuild their businesses and lives as soon as possible.



Both the West and East coasts of Ko Lanta were hit by seven big waves on 26th December at around 10.30am. Two of the waves were very big, and it was these two that caused most of the damage to the island. Here at Narima, the largest wave came up over the swimming pool and sucked most of the water out. It also claimed all our brand new bar furniture and many of the sun-loungers. Thankfully this was all that was damaged. There was a mother and daughter swimming in the sea, but they realized something was wrong when the water first started to recede and were able to run to safety before the wave came in. Narima is functioning normally now (with a few missing items from the menu!) and the good news is that the beach now has lots of sand again!



Saffron & Iris were diving with 5 divers at Bidah Nok at Ko Phi Phi. All the divers were in the water when the waves came and were pushed several hundred meters out to sea by a strong current. Fortunately this was the safest place to be and we were able to return to Ko Lanta a few hours later. All divers from Ko Lanta returned safely that day.



Ko Lanta’s main town Saladan (in the North) was extremely fortunate and only suffered minimal flooding as the water levels rose & fell – they did not experience a wave as the west and east coasts did. Most of the shops are open as normal already. The car ferries are running as normal, and we expect the ferry from Krabi to start operating in the next few days.



We have had reports back that the reefs around Ko Lanta are looking healthy and largely unaffected. The main abnormality is that there is a fine layer of sand over much of the coral, but the fish seem to be doing quite a good job of cleaning this off. We hope to reopen the dive centre on 2nd January. Fortunately, the Similans and Southern islands were largely unaffected by the calamity and Phuket dive operators are running their schedulesd trips from 2nd January..



Krabi authorities have informed us that they have received enough clothing, blankets etc. – now the real need is for money to help people. If you would like to help, please visit: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/tsunami.aidsites/ for a list of reputable charities who are helping in affected areas.



Our thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones during this terrible tradegy.

Kindest regards Darrel & Saffron.



UNITED STATEMENT FROM KO LANTA DIVE CENTRES



The dive schools on Koh Lanta are, together with everybody else, devastated about the tragedies that followed after the Tsunami on the 26th of December. Our thoughts are with the victims and the families from the disaster striking Koh Phi Phi, Khao Lak and parts of Phuket and the rest of the region. Under the circumstances it is difficult to feel any relief over the fact that Koh Lanta and other areas in the south were more or less spared when the waves struck the Thai west coast last Sunday.



With the tourist season receiving this fatal blow, the most financially wise solution for most of these dive schools would be to keep the amount of full time local employees to a minimum, close for the season and go back home to our home countries. But unfortunately this is not an option for the local Thai people. Hundreds of families on the island are directly or indirectly dependent on the diving industry, and many more rely on the tourists and travelers that visit the islands. From our mutual stand point it would be irresponsible to leave the island at this stage and leave the current problems, and the economical crises that will follow, to be solved by the local community. We have been earning our livelihood here on the island for several years, and out of respect and solidarity for the local Thai people we should carry the burden in this difficult time, in the same way that we have shared the prosperity during recent years of growth.



Despite the shock, grief and respect for the victims of the disaster, the mutual decision reached is that it is our responsibility to contribute to the normalization of the situation as far as possible, and not only tell people that it is OK to come to Thailand but to ask people to come. The best aid possible is for future travelers not to cancel their holidays, but come here and stay at the resorts, eat at the restaurants, buy the t-shirts and book their excursions. Foreign governments have told their citizens to leave and urge future travelers to cancel their trips to Thailand. This would be a second disaster for thousands of Thais directly or indirectly dependent on the tourist industry for their livelihood.



The diving community on Koh Lanta therefore has together decided to officially continue the diving operation on Koh Lanta from the 2nd of January, 2005. The moral dilemma we face when weighing ethical considerations against the need for all of us to prepare for a normalization of life after the 26th of December is unprecedented. We respectfully ask for your understanding with our choice in this matter.



Koh Lanta 1st of January, 2005



Lanta Diver, Kolanta Diving Center, Blue Planet, Go Dive, Scool Diver, Lanta Fundivers, Atlantis, Narima Diving, Laguna Divers, Pimalai Diver, Lanta Discovery Diver, Aqua Scuba and SP Diving.





NARIMA DIVING

98 Moo 5, Klong Nin Beach, Ko Lanta, Krabi, 81150, Thailand

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], Mob: [phone]

Email: [e-mail], [e-mail]

Web: www.narimadiving.com, www.liquidlense.co.uk