A Different POV on the Tsunami

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But some environmentalists are actually celebrating the tidal wave that killed nearly 200,000 people, saying it rid the coastal area of development and other forms of human contamination.

“This whole area was littered with commercialism,” regular visitor Greg Ferrando told the Associated Press on Friday as he surveyed the damage in Phuket, Thailand. “There were hundreds of beach chairs out here. I prefer the sand.”

“Everyone is talking about it. It looks much better now,” he added. “This looks a lot more like Hawaii now, where vendors aren’t allowed on the beach.”

Phanomphon Thammachartniyom, president of the Phuket Professional Guide Association, agreed. “Nature has returned nature to us. I want it to be this way forever,” he said.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that the tsunami swept away unplanned and possible illegal building, creating an opportunity to regulate growth.

“I have sent a team to collect information on damaged buildings, including hotels, resources and guest houses,” he explained. “We need the quick restoration of the tourist facilities there, but we also have to establish restrictions for building.”

Moriel Avital, a 24-year-old Israeli who lived on the island for four months, said there was a lesson in the tsunami.

“It’s telling people not to mess with nature,” she said. “Paradise should be paradise and should not become this civilized.”

Surin Kaewjan, a 44-year-old fruit vendor on Patong Beach, said the tsnami has hurt her business, but said there was an upside to the disaster.

“Honestly, I love this nature,” she insisted. “Twenty years ago, it was like this, and full of trees. I haven’t seen the beach this white in ages.”

newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/7/223750.shtml
 
I don’t know what to think about these type of statements so soon after the disaster. It is sort of calloused. I understand that they now have a chance at better planning, but they better be careful how they say it. People are still grieving, and many are still missing.
 
Just an opinion, but I think the words of the Thai Prime Minister have been mis-represented. He mourns the loss of life, but that comment was about the illegal tourism expansions going on in the area.

As a person who still carries a Thai passport, I think I’m allowed to comment about what my aunt and I were talking about and this snippet of report that I caught on Dateline last night. It’s about Phuket’s tourist areas. While many Thai citizens are doing without in the surrounding areas, the government aid has gone to, first and foremost to restore those tourist areas.

So no, I don’t think he’s saying that it’s good that those areas were destroyed.

On the other hand, I saw that Leonardo DiCaprio got himself in the news for donating to the relief efforts. I’m not sure how many know this, but the location where he filmed The Beach is not too far from Phuket. By the time he and the film crews left, that entire location was destroyed. I think it’s a bit hypocritical that he touts himself as an environmentalist but caused such damage that to my knowledge has never apologized for.

Sorry for the rambling.
 
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AmandaPS:
Just an opinion, but I think the words of the Thai Prime Minister have been mis-represented. He mourns the loss of life, but that comment was about the illegal tourism expansions going on in the area.

As a person who still carries a Thai passport, I think I’m allowed to comment about what my aunt and I were talking about and this snippet of report that I caught on Dateline last night. It’s about Phuket’s tourist areas. While many Thai citizens are doing without in the surrounding areas, the government aid has gone to, first and foremost to restore those tourist areas.

So no, I don’t think he’s saying that it’s good that those areas were destroyed.

On the other hand, I saw that Leonardo DiCaprio got himself in the news for donating to the relief efforts. I’m not sure how many know this, but the location where he filmed The Beach is not too far from Phuket. By the time he and the film crews left, that entire location was destroyed. I think it’s a bit hypocritical that he touts himself as an environmentalist but caused such damage that to my knowledge has never apologized for.

Sorry for the rambling.
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Not rambling l - here we call it "(name removed by moderator)ut:. I didn’t take what the PM said as too out of line and rather thought that is what he meant but I found some of the other comments bizarre. Simply symptomatic of a self interest above and beyond anything else.

I am familiar with both Phuket and Pattya and hopefully with the funds they can do structured rebuilding which will make Phuket lovely once again. Phuket just expnded so rapidly that it became full of all kinds of “unplanned” things and I know the a safer, more hygenic and more aesthetic reconstruction can result.
 
HagiaSophia said:
“It’s telling people not to mess with nature,” she said. “Paradise should be paradise and should not become this civilized.”
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Well, there’s an interesting viewpoint.

If “paradise” places get wiped out when they become civilized, then what location is next?

Was not our earthly paradise to become civilized?

I personally think that, how should I say it, that there is much good that can come of it, but only if the right people react in the right way. We should pray for the Christian relief efforts, not necessarily the humanistic relief efforts, them too, but the Christian relief efforts involved. And get involved in those, at least financially.

Hopefully the new zoning laws or whatever won’t allow pagan temples to be rebuilt, if any were destroyed :gopray2:
I mean that in a nice way, realizing that many people were killed.
 
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