Over three hundred New Zealand citizens are still unaccounted for in Thailand alone, after Sunday's tsunami. That's a lot of people for a tiny country to loose.
Aiee. I guess that's a pretty popular vacation destination for you Kiwis, huh? I'm not sure if I can oil up any more hot me, but I'll squeeze a few into the closets or something. All those people. I still can't grasp the scale of devastation.
Isn't it horrible? Beaches covered with piles of bodies... I just can't even think about it.
Yep, Phuket in particular is very popular. Close and not too pricey. The tradgedy is that for these places, not only have they lost a lot of people, but their entire livelihood is gone. Resorts just totally washed away. :shakes head:
7000 Australians still unaccounted for, too. We only have 8 or 9 confirmed dead, but seven thousand who haven't checked in. This whole situation makes my gut churn. I'm sitting here going 'SQUEE, I'm upgrading my PC!' and these people have nothing, not even their families. I donated to about four relief funds yesterday, and sent way more than I can really afford. And then I was angry at myself for even thinking that it was more than I could afford. What am I going to spend it on - friggin' takeout, DVD boxsets and probably something electronic? Westerners suck. Because we sit here and say, "Oh, that's dreadful." And then we go and watch a sitcom.
This whole thing has really made me re-evalute. I used to want to teach in Kenya or Sudan. A few years ago, after I lived in Japan, I was all set to up stakes and go. I knew Africa hardly paid anything, but I just wanted to help for a few years. Then suddenly I got capitalist and thought, 'I'll do that when I'm older and have more security.' Now it's all come to the surface again. I think I will look into it for 2006, and make it a definite.
Shit, 7000? God, that's way more per captia than us. I'm hoping that most of these are just because there is no way to contact home from where they are.
It certainly does make you re-evaluate your priorities.
Not that it makes it much better, but dfat reports that there are/were 8,000 Australians living in/visiting the various affected regions and of those, 3,000 have reported in. Which leaves 5,000 unaccounted for. Hopefully they are mostly in safe areas and haven't thought that they *needed* to report in. I'm trying to be positive.
I can't stop myself from watching the news reports. I know I can do nothing other than donate what seems a pittance to the homeless, but in a weird way I am comforting myself - and by projection them - by at least grieving. The picture of the little Sri Lankan girl standing on a street, obviously distressed and alone, hurts so, so much.
Thanks. I hope that all the Australasians make it back in one piece. We may be bitter rivals in sport, but at times like these it always humbles me how our two countries pull together.
It's like a traffic accident, isn't it? You know you'll be disturbed and yet you can't look away...
And how's this for inconsiderate? The Sri Lankan cricketers are here, and although I think they wanted to turn around and go home, the ICC would have fined them $2 million US for abandoning the tour. There is no proviso for calling it off on compassionate grounds. I hope the NZ Cricket board uses the rest of the games to raise money for the relief effort.
They must have changed their minds. I did hear on the news tonight that the Sri Lankans had decided to play on, but I just read this at Fox Sports News...
SRI Lanka's tour of New Zealand had been postponed following the tsunami that devastated southern Asia, the International Cricket Council said today.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that the ICC was comfortable with the decision of both boards to postpone the series.
"The impact of the tsunami on Sri Lanka has been devastating and we fully understand the decision taken by the boards to postpone the series," Speed said in a statement.
"In this situation where two of our members have agreed to postpone the series there is no issue of fines or compensation.
"The Sri Lankan players will now be able to return to their families and the series will be replayed at a date in the future to be confirmed."
This must have been a late change of heart on the part of the ICC as it was only reported on the evening news here that the tour *would* continue.
Yes, I just read that in the Herald. Looks like the ICC grew a heart. Guess there is no precedent for something like this... God, I understand how there's no way they could even think of playing cricket at a time like this, though they've probably lost a good opportunity to raise some much-needed relief money. Still, totally understandable that sport is the last thing on their minds.
I also just read that the NZ Red Cross donation line is overloaded. That's heartening.
So, so true. One would be too many. Four days now and still no word from most of these people. And it's weird - if it were a terrorist attack you could at least feel angry about it, or have an opportunity for retribution, but when it's an act of nature, all you can do is be terribly, terribly sad.
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littleheaven
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no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 02:01 am (UTC)Yep, Phuket in particular is very popular. Close and not too pricey. The tradgedy is that for these places, not only have they lost a lot of people, but their entire livelihood is gone. Resorts just totally washed away. :shakes head:
Reminds us all how insignificant we really are.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 04:55 am (UTC)This whole thing has really made me re-evalute. I used to want to teach in Kenya or Sudan. A few years ago, after I lived in Japan, I was all set to up stakes and go. I knew Africa hardly paid anything, but I just wanted to help for a few years. Then suddenly I got capitalist and thought, 'I'll do that when I'm older and have more security.' Now it's all come to the surface again. I think I will look into it for 2006, and make it a definite.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 05:03 am (UTC)It certainly does make you re-evaluate your priorities.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 06:56 am (UTC)I can't stop myself from watching the news reports. I know I can do nothing other than donate what seems a pittance to the homeless, but in a weird way I am comforting myself - and by projection them - by at least grieving. The picture of the little Sri Lankan girl standing on a street, obviously distressed and alone, hurts so, so much.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 07:07 am (UTC)Dfat had a link to a group of SE Asia bloggers who have set up an information blog for donations, aid etc. http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 09:16 am (UTC)And thanks for the link.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 09:14 am (UTC)And how's this for inconsiderate? The Sri Lankan cricketers are here, and although I think they wanted to turn around and go home, the ICC would have fined them $2 million US for abandoning the tour. There is no proviso for calling it off on compassionate grounds. I hope the NZ Cricket board uses the rest of the games to raise money for the relief effort.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 02:49 pm (UTC)SRI Lanka's tour of New Zealand had been postponed following the tsunami that devastated southern Asia, the International Cricket Council said today.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that the ICC was comfortable with the decision of both boards to postpone the series.
"The impact of the tsunami on Sri Lanka has been devastating and we fully understand the decision taken by the boards to postpone the series," Speed said in a statement.
"In this situation where two of our members have agreed to postpone the series there is no issue of fines or compensation.
"The Sri Lankan players will now be able to return to their families and the series will be replayed at a date in the future to be confirmed."
This must have been a late change of heart on the part of the ICC as it was only reported on the evening news here that the tour *would* continue.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 08:11 pm (UTC)I also just read that the NZ Red Cross donation line is overloaded. That's heartening.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-29 08:30 pm (UTC)