The Thai government Friday hosted a remembrance ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami which caused heavy casualties.
The ceremony, "Ten Years on: Remembering the Indian Ocean Tsunami", was held in the resort town of Khao Lak in southern Phang-nga province, the very place where the worst of Thailand's tsunami damage was concentrated.
"I take this opportunity to pay respect to those Thai and foreign nationals who lost their lives in the tsunami," Xinua quoted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha as saying at the ceremony.
An earthquake of 9.0 magnitude Dec 26, 2004, triggered waves as high as 17.4 metres which swept ashore more than a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim, leaving more than 230,000 people dead.
More than 5,000 people were killed in Thailand, about half of whom were foreigners. Six Andaman coastal provinces in southern Thailand were affected, including Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Ranong, and Satun.
On behalf of the Thai government, Prayut expressed appreciation and admiration to those from all over the world "who have shared their love, goodwill and kindness with the victims and helped rebuild communities affected by the tsunami back to normal".
He also stressed the importance of developing effective and modern warning systems as well as efficient disaster relief operations.
"Our world is faced with more severe and uncontrollable natural disasters. We need to learn how to respond when caught in such unexpected events," he said.
Also included in the ceremony were the observance of a moment of silence, a wreath-laying ceremony, remarks by Thai and foreign dignitaries, poetry reading and candlelight memorial, and a performance by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.
On Saturday, the ministry of foreign affairs will lead a number of foreign dignitaries to visit Ban Nam Khem community and Chai Pattana village, which are disaster-resilient community models.
