[killjoy]

Quick update. My friend has grown even more disallusioned with the 'organized' relief efforts in Phang Nga. She has decided to see what else she can do to help. She spent the last day and a half with a small girl taking her around trying to find her parents. No luck.

[SuziQ]

I heard the most disgusting thing on the news just a little while ago. Some one got the names of folks for whom people were searching, and decided to play a malicious prank. This person has sent notices of death to people looking for loved ones and claiming to be a Govt. Minister, in Thailand, I think, I can't remember which country. I was just appalled! I told Sir SuziQ that any family who got one of those, especially if it isn't true, should have the right to have five minutes in a room alone with this miscreant to have the chance to beat the snot out of him. Then the next family gets their turn!

I think that would be justice, don't you?

[killjoy]

Well, the girl found her parents... maybe. There is a bad smell coming from the building close to where they were. They are assuming they are dead inside it. One of the biggest problems now is a lack of construction equipment. They don't have cranes to move debris out of the way. They also dont have anything that can chop up masonry into smaller pieces. For now, they just have to leave things the way they are, bodies or not.

In some areas they are starting to use elephants for heavy lifting. She has not seen it personally but it has made the news. I assume yahoo probably has some pictures of it.

The Thai Prime Minister came down to visit yesterday and did a good job of pissing everyone off. Radio use by the relief crews was forbidden so everything had to stop while he was there.

Because of another thread on FR, I asked her about UN efforts. So far, she has not seen anything with a UN logo on it. Since they are really good at branding anything they are even remotely involved with, it is a good sign they are not there.

The various groups I mentioned before are all still there as well as quite a few foreign 'tourists' who have joined in the efforts. The 'tourists' helping out are from all over but she specifically mentioned some Americans that are there helping. :)

There are rumors going around of some US ships off the coast helping out with things now. She hasn't been paying much attention to the local news so doesn't know more about it.