Tsunami Relief Efforts for Southern Thailand (Published in CLAIR Forum Magazine-August 2006)December 26, 2004 is a day I will never forget.
I wasn’t in Southeast Asia when the tragic Sumatra earthquake and subsequent tsunamis struck, but exactly a month before, I had been in Phuket, Thailand with my family. My wonderful and happy vacation memories were replaced with feelings of horror and helplessness as I watched the destruction on Japanese news broadcasts. On Internet websites, I saw countless posts from frantic relatives trying to contact missing loved ones.
It was so frustrating to see descriptions of foreign tsunami victims written in Thai on hospital websites. I had the right skills to help, but I was in the wrong place. With difficulty, I fought the urge to resign from my teaching position in Shimane. I wanted to be in Thailand where translators were desperately needed to assist the foreign tsunami victims and their families. However, I had responsibilities that I could not abandon. I knew I had to find different ways to help the recovery effort while staying in Japan.
After the New Year holidays, I contacted some friends about doing a fundraising activity for the disaster victims. The quickest and most effective method was to organize a donation campaign by Shimane JET participants. In less than a month, we collected ¥1,608,346 for Japan UNICEF’s special emergency relief fund. Over ¥130,000 of it came from my friends, coworkers and students in Hamada. I was overwhelmed by their generous response. However, I still felt there was more I could do, especially for the people of Thailand, my father’s homeland.
A Thailand-Shimane Connection: Coincidence or Fate?
Fate works in strange ways; my second cousin David Klinkusoom was a JET participant in Shimane from 2001-2003. While he was Kawamoto-cho’s ALT, David became acquainted with a wonderful family who treated him like a son. His Shimane dad, Katsutoshi Nakagawa, has a long association with people from Southeast Asia. The Nakagawa family has often hosted Southeast Asian people studying in Shimane.
In another twist of fate, the Nakagawas’ son, Shunsuke, a SCUBA diving instructor in Thailand, was in the waters off Phi Phi Island when the tsunami struck. He said it was like being in a washing machine, but his life was miraculously spared. Surviving such a terrifying experience motivated him to stay and help the people of Phi Phi, especially the orphaned children.
In the month following the tsunami, the Nakagawa family collected over ¥2,000,000 for Phi Phi Island. Thanks to my cousin’s connection with the Nakagawas, I became acquainted with Shunsuke and his father and both were glad to hear of my motivation to help the tsunami victims in Thailand.
Collecting Donations with Mr. Nakagawa at an International Food Fair - March 2005
Teaming Up with the Nakagawas
Following the disaster, Shunsuke remained on Phi Phi Island and assisted with the gruesome rescue and recovery efforts. He is still in Southern Thailand and does a lot of volunteer work, particularly with the school children and their families.
His major project was translating and publishing the Japanese version of The Children of Phi Phi Island, a book of illustrations and stories by the orphans. Proceeds from the books directly support the 44 children featured in the book and related projects.
I also became acquainted with Ms. Yardfon Pum Booranapim, the Thai coordinator of the book project. This excerpt from one of her newsletters explains how The Children of Phi Phi Island came about:
”We created ‘Children of Koh Phi Phi’ after meeting Ajarn Sukdee, the principal of Baan Koh Phi Phi secondary school, which of course was destroyed. Our aim is to provide a new school for the children so they can receive the education they deserve, and also to make possible for the parents to learn new skills, so they can receive the education they have never been granted access to. This will not only make it possible for them to get a new job, but also keep their mind busy and their thoughts away from their recent past.”
Shunsuke, Pum and I exchanged many e-mails, sharing ideas about how best to promote the book. I was especially excited to hear that Shunsuke would be making a visit home to Kawamoto during a short tour of Japan to sell the book. I finally met Shunsuke face-to-face in September 2005 at the Hamada Children’s Museum of Art. I introduced him to Ms. Noriko Takano, the curator, who gave us permission to sell the book in the Museum’s gift shop. Hamada’s aquarium AQUAS kindly agreed to sell the books as well.
During his busy month in Japan, Shunsuke attended several events in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima, sharing his experience as a tsunami survivor and volunteer. Single-handedly, he sold over 900 copies of the book during his speaking tour. With the help of his parents who handle Internet orders, the first printing of over 2,500 books has sold out. The Nakagawa family’s incredible dedication to the book project continues to amaze and inspire me.
Connecting the Children of Shimane and Phi Phi Island
To commemorate the first anniversary of the tsunami, Pum wrote a follow-up book, The Heart of Phi Phi’s Children, to support eleven additional orphans not included in the original book. Shunsuke’s father is currently working on the Japanese translation of the new book.
I was honored to provide a quote for the new book, but when Pum found out that I was teaching English in Japan, she asked for some comments from my students as well. I was very touched by what some of them wrote.
“Dear Phi Phi Island Friends,
“We are 8th grade students in Japan.
“From the newspapers and TV, we heard that Phi Phi Island was devastated by the tsunami following the giant earthquake. When we heard this news, we were so shocked.
“We know that the sadness caused by losing countless loved ones and dear friends is something that will never go away.
“On top of that, many of you lost your homes and are having a hard time rebuilding and recovering. It must be a really difficult time for you.
“It's understandable that many of you may have lost all hope following the disaster, but please believe in your future. Don't give up hope.
“WE'RE CHEERING FOR YOU!!!!!
“Your friends at Hamada 2nd Junior High School”
I also made a visit to Hibarigaoka Elementary School in Hamada shortly before my trip to Thailand in January 2006. I told the children that I would be going to Phi Phi Island, and that if they wanted to write letters or draw pictures for the orphans, I would be happy to deliver them.
It was difficult to explain to the younger children exactly what happened in December 2004, and how terribly the tsunami victims had suffered, but they seemed excited about making contact with new friends outside of Japan. Despite the short notice, I had many charming drawings and letters to take with me to Thailand. Their drawings now decorate the souvenir factory established by Pum and Shunsuke to provide work and income for the surviving adults on Phi Phi.
The Heart of Shimane’s People
From reading Shunsuke’s blog, I learned that he was using some of the funds from the Japanese book sales to pay for the children’s school lunches, repair leaks in the school’s roof, and buy bicycles for the children to ride to school. I printed these pages of his blog out to circulate at the schools and Board of Education in Hamada and asked for additional donations to help pay for school lunches and uniforms.
In less than two weeks, I collected over ¥120,000. Additionally, the Hamada Children’s Museum of Art contacted me and donated an additional ¥20,000 from loose change they had collected during a doll exhibition they held last summer. Had I started my fundraising sooner, I know I could have collected more donations, but the generosity of the Shimane people never ceases to touch my heart.
It has been a year and a half since the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami destroyed so many people’s lives. The challenge of helping tsunami victims grows more difficult; people tend to forget disasters once they are no longer in the news. There are still many men, women, and children with severe injuries who need physical rehabilitation and psychological counseling.
With many hotels, restaurants and other businesses now back in operation, the tourists are starting to return and Phi Phi Island seems to be back to normal. However, for the local people, the emotional scars are still fresh. Those who have recovered from their injuries are either too afraid of another tsunami or too haunted by the loss of loved ones to return to the island. Some have only gotten enough courage to come back for the memorial service on December 26, 2005.
Now that I have been to Phi Phi Island and seen the situation with my own eyes, I know there is still so much that needs to be done. As much as it hurt me to hear the survivors’ tragic stories and see their suffering during my recent visit, I am comforted by one thought: I know that as long as I want to continue helping people on Phi Phi Island, I have good friends throughout Japan who will support me in my efforts.
Through my friendship with the Nakagawas and the people of Shimane, I vow to continue doing whatever I can to help.
For information on The Children of Phi Phi Island and The Heart of Phi Phi’s Children, please visit http://giftofphiphi.hp.infoseek.co.jp or http://www.childrenofphiphi.com
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