Flyer magazine

N.B. This is not an official translation and should not be used as such.

What is going on in Phi Phi right now?
"There's a lot of clearing work still being done. Government consultants are carrying out damage assessment and developing ideas for the future of the island."

What are their conclusions?
"We need to recognise that number of casualties in Phi Phi from this catastrophe could have been less if building regulations, which have been in place for years, had been followed. Thai law says that all buildings should be a certain distance from the beach, depending on their use. At the time of the earthquake, there were also no proper roads or public spaces, which meant it was difficult to run when the waves came."

Do you think this will change in the future?
"I believe so, yes. It was near impossible to enforce building regulations before, when the authorities were far away on the mainland. Now we have the occasion to start again from scratch - and it is now clear is that we have to start anew with Phi Phi. Whatever happens, there must be proper town planning and infrastructure - not like before. Safety is the priority. Ideally, the government would like people to build accommodation (bungalows, in my opinion, would be the best) on the hillside and make the low-lying area around the beaches a public park."

What about the idea being touted by many that the island should be given back to the National Parks department?
“It is simply not possible for the whole island to be made a National Park area. The value of the land and the number of people who own legitimate title deeds mean the government is not able to compensate everyone - even supposing they agree to sell. We will find a compromise in the end. We want to encourage day trips, but people would like to stay on the island too and we aim to get it back up and running within a year.”

Do you think people will still want to come to Phi Phi, given what has happened here?
"It's hard to say. For Thai people there are certainly bad memories, but they want to look to the future too. It's a beautiful place and we hope foreigners will still wish to come."

A year is not long - when will the final plan be decided?
It will be very hard to give definite answers until after the general election [on 6 February 2005]. We are waiting to see who will be elected and if policy will change. After that, there will be meetings with all concerned parties to draw up a proper plan for the future of the island.

19 Jan, 7.30pm - Pictures of the local islands
We have now uploaded photographs of some of the local islands in the wake of the earthquake. While the islands themselves are largely untouched, there has been quite serious erosion of some beaches. You can view all the pictures, taken on 17 January, here.

19 Jan, 7.30pm - Travel warnings slowly being lifted
On January 16, the British government lifted its ban on "all but essential" travel to southern Thailand, saying at the top of its web page, "we no longer advise against travel to Phuket and Krabi." However, the main explanatory text has not been changed and contains no further reference to the situation in Krabi.

The American government has updated its advice to read: "services in most other affected areas [outside of Phi Phi and Khao Lak ...], including hotels and telephone services, are generally operating again, and many parts of Phuket and Krabi suffered only minimal damage." Source: http://travel.state.gov.

18 Jan, 5pm - Chicken Island sandbank destroyed
The spectacular, three-pronged sandbank that stretches between Chicken Island, Ko Tub and Ko Mor was flattened by the tidal waves, we saw yesterday. Sand has been swept up around the south-facing shore of Ko Mor, creating a new, higher beach, while the main stretch to Chicken Island has been competely washed away.

Our previous update still holds true, that the forces of nature will eventually rebuild the sandbank, which is created by tidal movements in the sea, but estimates of how long this will take vary wildly from a few weeks to a year or more.

Ths islands themselves are undamaged; the beach on Ko Poda is completely intact. Snorkelling conditions are even better than usual, due to lack of boats. Ko Yawasam, despite some broken coral, is full of all kinds of fish. Pictures of the islands to follow.

New flight schedule at Krabi Airport
As of 17 January, all airlines operating in Krabi Airport have changed their schedule. There are less flights on all routes, similar to the low season timetable. For a full update, with all the new times, please see our 'getting here' page.

15 Jan, 6.30pm - The situation on the local islands
'Chicken, Poda': often the first words visitors to Ao Nang hear, from the chorus of boatmen plying their trade on the beach road. Not some mysterious code, they are rather the names of the ‘local islands’ that can be seen from the shore.

One of the most popular excursions in Ao Nang is the so-called ‘four island’ tour. Three of the four islands visited on this route make up the group directly in front of Ao Nang Beach: Ko Poda; Ko Tub; and Ko Gai (otherwise known as Chicken Island). The fourth stop is not really an island, but is inaccessible by road from the mainland: Phra Nang Bay on the Railay peninsula.

In the immediate aftermath of the tidal waves caused by December’s earthquake, concerns were raised about the state of these islands; their coral reefs; and in particular, the spectacular sweeping sandbank running between Chicken Island and Ko Tub [pictured above, last year], which the force of the water was said to have “demolished”. As one of the highlights of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s ‘Unseen Thailand’ campaign last year, the remarkable islands had become an emblem of Krabi’s natural beauty.

Gloom turned into happiness a few days ago, however, when it became apparent that nature herself was rebuilding the sandbank, which is created by tidal movements in the sea. We will visit all these islands on Monday and take pictures to confirm this.

The other islands accessible from Ao Nang show no signs of any disruption, according to all reports. The beautiful Ko Hong group, including Ko Lahding and Ko Fakbia are all fine, while day trips to the Phi Phi islands are operating as normal, providing there is a minimum number of guests: the uninhabited Phi Phi Leh (including Maya and Losamah Bays) and Bamboo Island are on the itinerary. Staying overnight in Phi Phi, while still possible in some of the northern resorts on Phi Phi Don, is not recommended, as the clean-up operation in the devastated Ton Sai village is far from finished.

6pm - Tour operators resume business in Krabi
Two of the major Scandinavian tour operators, Star Tours and MyTravel, have announced they will be bringing holidaymakers back to Krabi for the first time since December 26 last year. Following the lifting of the travel ban by all Nordic countries, including Denmark two days ago, charter flights will start arriving as usual in Phuket in the first week of February.

The news was warmly welcomed by local businesses, who are hoping to be back up to 30-40 per cent of their normal income by next month. The month of January, usually the busiest time of the year, has so far seen all hotels with a maximum 6-10 per cent occupancy.

Now that the emergency situation is over, loss of income and future income is the key issue that needs to be addressed - and one that cannot be resolved by charitable donations. It is a cost each family here will have to bear themselves.

The following is an extract from an article by the writer and photographer, Karl Bralich:

"For one time in our lives, our choice of vacation can have a real, tangible, beneficial effect. It sounds a little twisted, but it’s a REAL solution to one LOCAL problem. [...] If a trip to paradise were the worst sacrifice you ever had to make, you’d be blessed.

"Can you swing it somehow? This year instead of 'sometime in the future'? This season when it’s needed? I’ll bet your boss would be understanding. I’ll bet your co-workers would work around your vacation requests. I’ll bet the usual penalties for last minute flights will be avoidable. Make sure you can repay those credit cards but there’s never been a better excuse to splurge on a road trip.

"There will never be a time when a visit would mean as much. If you’ve never been before, don’t let that stop you. There are palaces of extreme luxury and bungalows cheaper than campgrounds, and they all need friends."

Extracted, with thanks, from www.peaklightimages.com.

12 Jan, 9pm - Towards sustainable tourism?
An increasing number of voices are calling for a new approach to tourism on the Andaman coast in the wake of last month's disaster. Thai people, with their superstitious character, are saying that the wrath of Nature should be taken as a warning that unchecked pursuit of tourist dollars will ultimately bring little reward.

Phi Phi was already being described as 'destroyed' even before the waves came, with unregulated and illegal building; massive over-crowding; and inadequate infrastructure that saw raw sewage being pumped directly into the marine park waters that everyone was there to see. The long-term future of the island was in grave doubt, as the natural resources that were the islands' attraction, were being rapidly eroded.

Any rush to rebuild on the island, apart from being incredibly crass and insensitive, given the scale of the tragedy, would be heavily criticised by most local people here, who wish Phi Phi to be returned to its rightful status as a National Park. It has been suggested that government money earmarked for reconstruction should be used to buy back the land from its owners (at a price which would in effect, compensate them for loss of income over the coming years). Families originally from the island would be allowed to remain, should they wish, and perhaps earn an income from restaurants etc. to feed the daytrippers from Phuket and Krabi.

Anuchat Poungsomlee, of Mahidol University's Environment and Resource Studies Faculty, told the Bangkok Post on 8 January that "the government should not return to a development pattern that is centred on tourism money without regard for the limited capacity of beaches and sea."

We think this is a sensible idea. And when even Patong municipality, in Phuket, is suggesting that the sun lounger mafia should not be allowed to return, in order to improve the beach's 'natural beauty', there is hope that things may change for the better.

Swedish government gives the all-clear to Phuket and Krabi
In an extremely significant move, the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok has today issued a status report on the west coast of Thailand, which lifts the warning on travel to Phuket and the Krabi mainland for all its citizens. Travel to Khao Lak and Phi Phi is not advised, but concerned relatives may still travel there, at their own risk.

For Sweden, which suffered the greatest loss of any foreign country in last month's earthquake, to lift the travel warning, is a hugely encouraging sign and an exceptional gesture of support from their government to the Thai people.

10 Jan, 11pm - New pictures from Railay
We have finally managed to take some pictures of the beaches in Railay, principally Sunset (west side) and the south-facing Phra Nang Bay. Sunrise was not included in these pictures, as it was not hit at all by the waves and looks its usual (less-than-pretty) self.

While damage was slight in all areas of Railay, morale is quite low, as there are currently less than 50 rooms occupied, out of a possible - and usually actual, at this time of year - 600. By choosing to go here now, not only will you be making staff happy (there's only so many times in a day a person can read the same newspaper, before he becomes bored - or his boss lays him off), but you will also have the most beautiful beaches on mainland Thailand almost to yourself.

Embassy updates
The British government has modified its travel advisory for Thailand, although it is still quite vague and refuses to specify any totally safe resorts. While recognising that Phi Phi and Khao Lak are the worst affected areas, it says only that "in other places, including Phuket island, some hotels and other facilities remain in good order."

Meanwhile, the Australian government is advising its citizens to avoid travel to "the southern region in general", due to "health concerns [and severe disruption to] infrastructure, tourist and public services." Source: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

While we understand the need to exercise extreme caution in giving travel advice, some of the advisories tend to be rather generalised and thus misleading - in its introduction, the Australian government puts Thailand first in its list of countries (Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia) where it says there is "a real risk of disease caused by disruption to water services, normal sewage and from over-crowding". The absurdity of such a statement would ordinarily make us laugh, if it weren't doing so much damage.

The Canadian government is to be commended for its beach-by-beach listing.

9 Jan, 9pm - French lift travel warning to southern Thailand
We are pleased to see that some governments (France, Norway), as well as the influential Lonely Planet guide, have seen sense and have lifted the travel warning to Thailand. The French foreign ministry has published the following on its website:

"The tidal wave of 26 December caused significant damage along the south west coast of Thailand (the provinces of Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Trang, Satun and Ranong). However, the situation is very different [in each area]: Phi Phi Island and Khao Lak have been destroyed. In contrast, on the island of Phuket, damage was very localised and limited to certain beaches. Day-to-day lives and normal activities continue as before across the majority of the island. A large number of hotels, restaurants, dive centres etc., are operating as usual. The situation in Krabi is the same.

"There is no longer any risk of infectious disease appearing. It is therefore entirely possible to visit this area.

"Access to the worst affected areas (Phi Phi and Khao Lak) is not prohibited; however, it is forbidden to enter or search for anything in the ruins."
Source: www.france.diplomatie.fr

The British government, which has had representatives sitting in the arrival hall at Krabi Airport for the past week, as well as the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, visiting Phuket, still talks of "infrastructure and public services [being] severely disrupted"; "widespread flooding"; and "conditions [...] conducive to development of disease".

While this incorrect information continues to be given credence, the undamaged beaches of Thailand will remain deserted (7 people counted on Ao Nang Beach today; 2 (!) on Phra Nang Bay in Railay).

Krabi in particular is not a developed destination, taken over by multinational hotel chains: the vast majority of the businesses are locally-owned, often by families from the coastal villages. Everyone from resort owners, to chefs, boat drivers, kayaking guides, right down to the ladies in the road selling pancakes, is suffering from the damage wreaked, not by the earthquake, but by its portrayal in the international media and government agencies.

8 Jan, 7.20pm - Underwater world escaped serious damage
Recreational scuba diving, one of the most popular activities in the Krabi area, started again this week, after the all-clear from the Royal Thai Navy. Boats have visited the local islands, the King Cruiser wreck, Anemone Reef, Hin Bida, Shark Point, as well as Bida Nok and Nai. Certain sites remain off-limits, including the bay areas around Ko Phi Phi, while the massive clean-up operation there continues.

Reports from divers show a very positive picture of the underwater world after the earthquake. All accessible dive sites show no disturbance whatsoever; visibility, even in the often murky waters around the local islands, is excellent; and the sea is said to be "teeming" with fish - possibly as a result of the lack of boats (fishing or otherwise) out at sea over the last two weeks. Encouraging signs that all is well include sightings of "small stuff", such as seahorses and ghost pipefish, in their regular dwelling places - suggesting that the waves had little impact on marine life.

There is bad news, however, about some snorkelling sites, in particular Ko Yawasam, often used as a stop-off on the 'four island' tour. Several shallow reefs, close to the shoreline, have been badly damaged, or simply knocked over by the force of the water. But there have been no reports of reefs covered in sand deposits, as some 'experts' predicted.

Tomorrow, local divers will be helping the Royal Thai Navy to carry out an 'underwater clean-up' off the coast of Ko Phi Phi, where massive amounts of debris have been washed into the sea. The locations of large, heavy objects will be marked on the surface, for later removal with cranes. Around 200 volunteers are expected to participate.

7 Jan, 3.30pm - Hotels cut prices
Several hotels unaffected by the earthquake in Ao Nang and Railay have announced reduced rates to encourage tourists to visit the area. Railay Bay Resort is offering all of its accommodation at less than half price for new bookings until the end of January; the Ao Nang guesthouse J. Mansion has also cut 60% off the normal price of its rooms; and Sabai Resort in Nopparat Thara has reverted to low season rates until the start of the next high season in November 2005.

Further reductions are expected to be announced; we will publish news as we receive it.

7 Jan, 2pm - News from Ko Lanta
This morning we received detailed news about the situation in Ko Lanta from Lanta Divers in Ban Saladan.This is what they say:

"The damage on Lanta, apart from material damage to 2 resorts, was minimal. In the village of Saladan (right by the water) where we were when the wave struck, there was no water at all and the island never suffered as much as a power cut. To put Lanta and Phi Phi together in one sentence is horribly misinformed and we would greatly appreciate if you could correct this.

"In the light of what happened on Phi Phi, you could say that Ko Lanta was spared on the 26th. In total there were 11 people who lost their lives, 2 tourists and 9 Thais. The majority of the Thais were fishermen who tried to save their longtail boats from the waves. No one is reported missing today. Any life lost is a tragedy, but what happened on Phi Phi and Khao Lak and the fishing villages north of Khao Lak is beyond comparison.

"Out of approx. 150 resorts on Ko Lanta there are, according to the mayor of Lanta Old Town, 10 that have decided not to reopen this season. Out of those 10 resorts the majority would be able to open soon if they wanted to. They are cleaned up already. Some more were damaged but most of them have reopened already.

"The worst damaged resorts were Kaw Kwang and Twin Bay on Khlong Dao beach, and it seems like the northen tip of Khlong Dao was where the water made the most damage, and other beaches weren't affected too much. We know that Deep Forest on Long Beach, a very basic bamboo bungalow resort, was destroyed as well.

"A trip around the island proves that we have to go to very specific places to be able to see any traces of the tsunami. Some beach bars, some restaurants were damaged, but 95% of them have reopened already."

Ferry boats to Ko Lanta have already resumed normal service from Krabi Town; the schedule can be seen here. Boats leaving from Ao Nang are still suspended.

Ao Nang joins together in prayer
Representatives from the Muslim, Catholic and Buddhist faiths joined together in a unique ceremony this morning on Ao Nang Beach to remember and pray for all those who suffered in last month's earthquake.

The beach road was closed as speeches of condolence were made by government officials and each religion held their own memorial service, with several hundred local people (ex-pat and Thai) and tourists in attendance.

Following the religious services, candles were lit on the sand and volunteers, including many children from local schools, gathered 'rubbish' (mostly dead leaves) to symbolise the cleansing of the beach and a new beginning.

Donations were also collected for the OrBorTor (Ao Nang's local council) who is co-ordinating the relief effort here, providing aid to those who lost boats etc., and funding the clean-up and restoration of all affected areas, including Phi Phi, which falls within its jurisdiction.

3 Jan, 7pm - The future is in your hands
Looking out today, over one of the most beautiful horizons in Thailand, everything was (as the favourite local saying goes) "same-same but different". The sun is still shining, the sea once again its usual glassy calm, people smile, long tail boats drift lazily back and forth. Only, now that the majority of the festive holidaymakers have left, almost no one is here.

Why? Many reasons.

Lack of information, or wrong information. Krabi province includes several tourist resort areas: Ao Nang, Railay and Klong Muang on the mainland; and Lanta and Phi Phi islands. When people talk about 'devastation in Krabi', there is rarely any distinction made between the mainland and the islands, two hours off the coast. Statistics are not broken down; and as (understandably) no TV airtime is given to show positive images of places spared from the worst damage, this only adds to the confusion. Please see below for more accurate reports direct from Ao Nang over the past week.

Trips cancelled by travel agents. Many people still wish to travel but have been prevented from doing so by their travel agent, who is obliged to follow government warnings currently advising people to stay away. If you are one of these people, please get in touch (even voicing any concerns you may have) and we will do our utmost to arrange hotels etc. independently for you.

Bad feeling: who wants to holiday where people have died? It sounds insensitive, cruel even. But think of it this way: a local population has been devastated by a natural disaster, but now that the rescue helicopters have gone; the paramedics have moved out, what are they left with? Used to welcoming people from all over the world (see our reaction page for testimony of Thai hospitality), they are now alone with their thoughts. There's an unsettling feeling on the beach today: 'lucky to be alive' has quickly turned into despair for the future. People are asking, 'what if no one comes back here?'.

It's a small gesture, but not cancelling your holiday will make a lot of difference. It's not just about people's livelihoods - though of course this is very important, particularly in Krabi which is entirely dependent on tourism to survive. The psychological damage caused by this catastrophe has been alleviated immensely by all the kind messages of support and concern we have been receiving; it will be helped even more by seeing the friendly faces of tourists once again and knowing that the world still wants to come to this beautiful place.

The feeling here is that we want things to return to normal as soon as possible. It is the only way we have to deal with this. In recognition of the amount of effort the Thai people themselves, with no fuss and in often overwhelming circumstances, have made to clean up; take care of the injured and bereaved; and re-build their lives, we would urge you please to go ahead with your holiday plans. And, given that the Krabi mainland is its usual picturesque self, we can safely say that there would be no compromise required on your part if you chose to do so.

31 Dec, 3pm - Picture gallery uploaded
Watching the news from outside Krabi, it may be hard to believe what you have been reading on this page. To rectify this, we have taken several photographs around the beach areas this morning, which can be seen here. Pictures and news from Railay will be gathered this afternoon and uploaded to this site by tomorrow morning (local time). You can also check the latest news direct from Railay and Ton Sai on Railay.com (external site), which has excellent coverage.

It should also be clear, even from this single shot above, that "disease control" and "sanitation" are simply not an issue here. There are no dead bodies washed up on the beach; nor is there likely to be: helicopters from the Royal Thai Navy are constantly monitoring the situation out at sea overhead. Neither is there any risk of contamination: the bodies still, tragically, being discovered on Ko Phi Phi (two hours away by fast boat) are being flown directly back to the mainland for identification.

Longtail boats make a comeback
Around ten longtail boats made a welcome re-appearance on Ao Nang beach today (see above), including one whose driver was out at Ko Hong when the tidal wave struck. His quick thinking on seeing the wave approach - guiding the boat rapidly out into the open sea, away from the shore - saved his boat, his life and those of his four passengers.

Meanwhile, those drivers whose boats were damaged while parked (empty) on the mainland shore, were today being helped to recover the wreckage and start repair work. Teams of volunteers from the local colleges gave the manpower required to lift the boats onto makeshift 'dry docks' on Nopparat Thara beach; while in the village of Ao Nang, mechanics, who had travelled from Surat Thani province, set up a workshop to repair the washed-up engines for free.

Khun Somkiet, the chief of Ao Nang village, was also out today inspecting the damage. He said that a foundation will be immediately set up to give beleagured boat drivers all the help necessary to get their boats - and livelihoods - running again.

Local transport resumes normal schedule
All local transport (except the ferry boats to Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta) is now running a normal schedule again. This includes buses to Phuket and Bangkok, local buses around Krabi province, as well as all international and domestic flights.

Statement from Krabi Seaview Resort
This email comes from André Gysin, the General Manager of Krabi Seaview Resort in Ao Nang:

"The Krabi Seaview Resort is presently still fully booked, but we face lots of cancellations in January and February. Beside of the fact that we are fully operational, please try to convince your clients/friends/relatives/colleagues that they can only help to overcome this disaster BY NOT CANCELLING THEIR RESERVATION. Everybody here, ESPECIALLY THAI PEOPLE, need to keep their job and need to earn money to survive! One more reason which should convince people to not cancel their holidays here in Ao Nang/Krabi.

We are already going out to regions which are badly hurt like Khao Lak and Phuket, bringing them clothes, shoes, medicine, food, water and money (we have collected already more than Baht 350,000 [in the resort]) to help. But we cannot help if we lose all our reservations...

Thank you for considering these words..."

30 Dec, 5.30pm - No news is good news
We have been receiving many emails these last few days from concerned people whose only source of information about Krabi is from the TV news. We would like to make it clear that the pictures of devastation from Thailand you see on TV are from quite far away from Ao Nang - north of here in Khao Lak and Phuket, or out on the islands (Ko Phi Phi in particular). Our thoughts are of course with all those who have suffered in these regions, with their families and friends.

Cynics would say that the only reason there is no information about the Krabi mainland is that there is very little to report, apart from a community working very hard to get back up on its feet, beaches cleaned within a day and a huge effort to get donations to those who were less fortunate than ourselves.

Many of those injured in the tidal wave from around the region have also commented on how efficient and supportive the Thai people and government have been in coping with the disaster; again, positive stories that will not be heard on the news.

To see current pictures of Ao Nang, please click here (external site). To read real holidaymakers' reaction to the crisis, please click here.

29 Dec, 7.30pm - New Year celebrations cancelled
In line with the rest of Asia, Thailand will have a national day of mourning on 31 December to pay respect to all those affected by the terrible events of the last few days. Official New Year celebrations throughout the kingdom have been cancelled and locally, organisers of the major dance festival, Greenspirit have also decided this morning not to go ahead with the party.

Part of the statement reads: "In the light of recent events and out of respect for those affected by the horrific tidal waves in Asia [...] we feel we cannot ask the already-stretched local government to spare the resources required to stage this party; in addition HM the King of Thailand is expected to make a statement today asking for all private New Year celebrations to be cancelled."

Phi Phi fully evacuated
All survivors of Sunday's tidal waves have now been evacuated from Ko Phi Phi, according to government officials. The Royal Thai Army is now moving in to the island with a crane, trucks and other equipment to start cleaning up the wreckage. Landowners and the provincial government in Krabi, under whose jurisdiction the islands fall, will be meeting in the coming weeks to decide the fate of these 'jewels of the Andaman Sea.' Many have suggested that the area be returned to its rightful status of a National Park, with no building allowed.

28 Dec, 11.30pm - Two different worlds
Krabi is currently in a sort of limbo between two worlds: the normal, happy, holiday-maker scene, which today returned to the beach in Ao Nang; and the horrific, nightmare-ish scenes which can be witnessed at Krabi Hospital and morgue, some 20km from the beach area.

Someone arriving from a remote area with no access to television would be forgiven for thinking that absolutely nothing had happened here these last few days. All buildings are intact; the bars are full; the beach was packed with sunbathers during the day; and there are even a few tourists once again going out to the islands.

But while divers from the Royal Thai Navy searched local waters for bodies trapped underwater, helicopters overhead were a constant reminder that all was not as it seemed.

Now most local people are spending their time yo-yo-ing between their 'day jobs' of keeping the remaining, unharmed tourists happy and volunteering at the inundated main hospital. With more bodies being brought in from the islands throughout the day, the full scale of the tragedy resulting from the tidal waves is now beginning to be seen.

Why was Ao Nang spared?
It now looks as though Ao Nang and Railay (Ao Phra Nang) were the least worst hit out of all the southern Thai resorts. Why? An element of luck, of course, and a small factor of geography. But there are also strict building regulations here, which mean that all buildings - hotels, bars, shops and restaurants - must be constructed at least 10m from the sea (6m from the high tidemark). Most other Thai seaside resorts have bungalows directly on the sand.

A wall, which was bitterly complained about when it was built behind Ao Nang's beach front two years ago, also made a large contribution to the lack of structural damage. Originally conceived as storm protection, it also proved remarkably effective in stopping the onrushing 5m waves on Sunday.

New drive to repatriate stranded tourists
The Thai government has finally sprung into action, with mobile intensive care units arriving this afternoon from Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok to transport the most severely injured people to the capital. Special flights from Krabi Airport were also scheduled to get injured foreigners to Bangkok and back home quickly - although many were reluctant to leave with missing friends and relatives unaccounted for.

The tourist association in Bangkok will be providing free accommodation and food for all passengers from the southern provinces of Thailand returning home.

Donation effort started
Staff at the local dive centres in Krabi have been collecting money for the victims of the earthquake disaster. Food, water, blankets and teddy bears were delivered today to hospitals. Tomorrow, the remaining money will be donated to the families of local boat drivers, whose only source of income disappeared along with their wooden boats, smashed on the beach.

To make a donation, please look out for the special boxes located in most restaurants and hotel lobbies along the beach in Ao Nang.

The organisers of Greenspirit, the major Goa-Trance festival due to be held in Krabi at New Year, have also announced that the party will be going ahead and that all proceeds from the event will be donated to the appeal for earthquake victims.

Stephan Scheidegger said that he had considered cancelling the festival, which will feature 30 hours of non-stop music from 12 DJs, after the scale of the disaster became apparent, but says he decide to turn the party into "something positive that would benefit the whole community."

28 Dec, 2.45am - Attention turns to the emergency wards
With the mainland beach areas mostly tidied up, energy is now being focused on the increasing numbers of injured people being brought in to Krabi Hospital from Ko Phi Phi and the outlying islands like Ko Hong. Emergency services here are ill-equipped to deal with a disaster on this scale and many volunteers are helping out - finding missing persons, co-ordinating donations of food, clothes and blankets and translating where necessary. It's chaotic, but it seems to be working.

Local businesses have rallied round and are providing free hotel accommodation, phone calls and supplies for those stranded in Krabi. A makeshift morgue has been set up in Krabi Town's Chinese temple and there are many bodies - including at least six foreigners we saw - awaiting identification.

Fears have again been raised about aftershocks of the earthquake, as news arrived of another large swell in neighbouring Phuket this afternoon. A number of false alarms have been sounded in Ao Nang during this evening, leading to scenes of panic-stricken people running through the streets.

It seems like much of the damage here in the long term will be psychological - the beach areas are intact, and as beautiful as ever - but what we have seen here these past couple of days will stay with us for a very long time.

27 Dec, 5pm - Beach already cleaned up
The beach area in Ao Nang has now been cleaned of all debris and mud and is open to traffic. Many tourists have been out and about today, even lying on the beach. Nopparat Thara beach, where there was more substantial damage from loose concrete pillars being used in the construction work there, is scheduled for cleaning tomorrow. Most businesses that still remain closed are planning to re-open shortly.

Reconstruction started today on The Last Fisherman Bar and The Last Cafe, which suffered the worst damage on the beach. The cleared sites will be re-open again soon, but re-building work will take some time here.

Evacuation has been continuing throughout the day in Ko Phi Phi. Survivors are being taken to hospitals in Phuket and Krabi, where staff have put out urgent appeals for blood donors.

27 Dec, 1pm

Ao Nang and Railay not badly hit
Other than some superficial damage, there has been no serious destruction on the mainland in Krabi (this includes Ao Nang, Railay, Krabi Town and Klong Muang). Some trees have been felled; mud has been washed up onto the road and some hotel swimming pools and restaurants swamped by the onrushing water. There is, however, no flooding at all and the clean-up operation is expected to take less than a week.

Islands in trouble
Out at sea, it is a very different story. The Phi Phi islands in particular and parts of Ko Lanta were directly in the path of the tidal wave as it swept north from Indonesia. The whole of the low-lying Ton Sai village on Phi Phi Don is still under water and many hotels have been destroyed. All scheduled boat traffic to these islands has been temporarily suspended. It is expected that normal services will resume in the New Year.

Counting the human cost
In terms of the human cost, several people who were sunbathing on the beach, or on boat trips near the shore when the wave struck have yet to be accounted for, but hotels are busy now checking the whereabouts of all their guests. The army and emergency services have been working through the night to evacuate the far-flung islands and get the injured to safety. The coming days will tell the real scale of the tragedy.

If you have friends or family staying in Krabi, please feel free to email us for the telephone number of the hotel. Please also check your local press for emergency helplines, which should have access to up-to-date lists of hospital admissions etc.

Please don't stay away
The local community has been badly shaken; but we are all determined to put things back together and recover from the shock. If any of you are thinking of re-scheduling your holiday, we would urge you to re-consider. As stated previously, there is no damage to any of the hotels or other buildings that we know of, the sun is still shining and the local people would certainly appreciate your presence and your support at this difficult time.

We are also happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about your forthcoming holiday - if there is anything further you would like to know about the situation here or elsewhere in Thailand, please email us: