Swedish premier: Swedish casualties could number above 1000.

Aftonbladet ^

[dob]

Swedish Premier Göran Persson announced that the number of missing Swedes in Thailand could number above 1000. Only 50 dead swedes have been indentified so far. Between 1400 and 4500 swedes are still missing. (The conservative estimate is based only on the three largest travel agencies.)

[blam]

I wonder why this post has 146 views but not one comment?

100 Britons Are Feared To Have Lost Their Lives (Tsunami)

[kingsurfer]

Our Ale is warm and not very nice.

Our Lager is cold but Belgian.

[dob]

Well, in Swedish he is called "statsminister" (i.e, "minister of state"), etc. "Premier", "Prime minister", etc. are just translations.

[rogue yam]

I wonder why this post has 146 views but not one comment?

Clearly Britain needs a Bikini Team!

[monday]

"My thoughts, too. Why so much lutefisk so near Bangkok?"

Bangkok is over four hundred miles away and wasn't affected at all. I imagine many Swedes wish they HAD been near Bangkok instead of on the beaches of Phuket. I suppose warm sandy beaches sound pretty good to Swedes during this time of year.

[monday]

"Must say I am bothered at the above stereotyping of Thailand as a Sex Tourism resort."

Some people have sex on the brain. The same type of people who are scandalized, and titillated, by a flash of Janet Jacksons flabby boob.

[bperiwinkle7]

HE, Jesus, being GOD, inspired Hillel, 200 years before.....
God needs nothing from us.

[Almab]

Your beliefs, not mine...

[staytrue]

why is it inappropriate to call Japs "Japs"

Because the term came into widespread use in WWII. It is probably still inappropriate to call Germans "jerry" too.

[Baraonda]

"Methinks we should tell these people to sod off, since they don't help us when we need it."

I agree, but there were Europeans among them. So, in order to help them, we had to help them too.

I hope it makes sense, I think.

[Baraonda]

My eyesight must be failing me, but I swear I saw firm ones. Or, am I getting old and anything will do?

[Baraonda]

Happy New Year to Bonnie, Scotland!

Don't drink too much :).

[to_zion]

My family and I usually vacation in North Africa in the summer. Tunisia (Djerba, Hammamet) and Egypt (Safaga, Sharm, El Gouna, Hurghada). You'll see tons of French, Germans, Swedish in Tunisia and Egypt. Great destinations. It's a shame that most Americans don't get out and explore all that the world has to offer. Almost every time my family and I have visited a far off place we were the only Americans around and people were amazed that Americans were there.

I suggest Freepers look into going to Tunisia. It's ultra cheap and amazingly beautiful and the people (muslims) LOVE Americans. Honest!

[jdm]

"It is not appropriate to call Brits, Brits. It is a crude and ignorant slang appellation used mainly by North Americans."

Enough with the faux elitist politically correct bullsh!t. I've been to England several times and have been encouraged by the kind folks of Great Britain to use the term "Brits."

[aculeus]

Yes to everything. But North Africa, like the rest of the Mediterranean, is not warm enough in winter.

We forget how lucky we are to have a semi-tropical state (FL) and proximity to the Caribbean.

Geography is destiny. So thousands of Swedes died in far-off Thailand.

[Tommyjo]

Are you serious? You are not the first Freeper to make such a stupid and moronic statement. The Balearic Islands used to be of Nordic nations many years ago. Is this a simple reflection of 'Euro bashing'? In the light of the number of Scandanavian families devastated I suggest you hang your head in shame!

[Siobhan]

For the Swedes, may their be consolation in the midst grief by a return to the faith that once led them to greatness through an encounter with the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. St. Birgitta of Sweden, pray for us.

[2banana]

Are you serious? You are not the first Freeper to make such a stupid and moronic statement.

Something just does not seem right with the numbers. Sweden is missing up to 5000 people for a country with a population of around 9 million. For the same percentage, America would/should be missing around 160,000.

For Swedes to travel to the Andaman Sea resort areas, they must travel farther than many other beach resorts (like the entire Mediterranean, Northern Africa, South Africa and Florida/Bahamas/Mexico).

So what is the huge draw for such a large portion of a county's population to travel so far from home bypassing much closer resort areas?