400 tsunami bodies unidentified

The bodies of almost 400 tsunami victims remain unidentified a decade after the deadly 2004 Boxing Day disaster.

Pol Col Yutaphong Intaraphong, who is in charge of tsunami victims data at the Missing Persons Management Centre, said the unidentified remains were all interred at Phangnga’s Bang Ma Ruan cemetery.

He said police had collected data from 3,708 bodies in the wake of the tsunami, but only 3,339 victims have been formally identified.

Of those that have been identified, 3,285 bodies have been claimed, with the remaining 52 belonging to Thai and Myanmar nationals whose families lack the money to take them home.

Pol Col Yutaphong said DNA samples taken from 383 people whose loved ones remained missing did not match any of the 369 unidentified bodies.

DNA testing must return results above 50% probability in order for the bodies to be claimed, he said. Secondary relatives, in most cases, produce a match of only 30%.

Over the past four years, 24 bodies have been claimed, all but one of them Thai nationals. The claiming process requires approval from the Police Body Identification Committee.

"I recommend that those relatives still searching for tsunami victims contact the 8th Region Police Office directly and bring as much information as they can, such as dental records, to match with the bodies in Bang Ma Ruan," Pol Col Yutaphong said.

"If they find a matching body, they can choose to claim it or, should they wish, a cremation service can be provided free of charge by the cemetery."

He said identifying the remaining victims has been hindered by a lack of funds to find relatives who might be living abroad.

In October, the body of a Nepalese victim was claimed from Bang Ma Ruan by relatives. Travelling expenses for the family were supported by the AP news agency as part of a documentary project.

Thanapon Songput, from the Mirror Foundation, said the situation should be a reminder that Thailand needs better disaster management planning.

He said the country had no main authoritative body to handle large-scale natural disasters, resulting in a failure to handle budgets effectively and poor post-disaster coordination between agencies.

"We have seen so many management gaps in the 10 years since the tsunami, but we have to seriously ask what lessons have been drawn to prepare the authorities and the community for future disasters."

Sunday 21 December 2014

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/451168/400-tsunami-bodies-unidentified