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Elders' Knowledge of the Oceans Spares Thai 'sea Gypsies' From Tsunami Disaster
The Associated Press ^ | Dec 31, 2004 | Anon

Posted on 12/31/2004 9:06:24 PM PST by Pharmboy

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Knowledge of the ocean and its currents passed down from generation to generation of a group of Thai fishermen known as the Morgan sea gypsies saved an entire village from the Asian tsunami, a newspaper said Saturday. By the time killer waves crashed over southern Thailand last Sunday the entire 181 population of their fishing village had fled to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island, English language Thai daily The Nation reported.

"The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared," 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay told the paper.

So while in some places along the southern coast, Thais headed to the beach when the sea drained out of beaches - the first sign of the impending tsunami - to pick up fish left flapping on the sand, the gypsies headed for the hills.

Few people in Thailand have a closer relationship with the sea than the Morgan sea gypsies, who spend each monsoon season on their boats plying the waters of the Andaman Sea from India to Indonesia and back to Thailand.

Between April and December, they live in shelters on the shore surviving by catching shrimp and spear fishing. At boat launching festivals each May, they ask the sea for forgiveness.

AP-ES-12-31-04 2245EST


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: culture; elders; folkknowledge; smart; sumatraquake; tsunami
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To: Ditter
Why didn't the sea gypsies share this knowledge? They could have saved a lot of lives.

To them it was common knowledge. They would expect everyone to be aware of it.
101 posted on 01/01/2005 3:19:02 AM PST by R. Scott (A Very Merry Christmas to all.)
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To: brigette
…they decided not issue a warning because they thought it would hurt tourism…

Shades of Jaws.
102 posted on 01/01/2005 3:23:00 AM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: A. Pole
Or freetraders saying "if the JOBS disappear fast they will reappear in the same quantity in which they disappeared"!(my emphasis)

That is so true, except they will reappear in another country. ;-)

103 posted on 01/01/2005 4:35:57 AM PST by varon (Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
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To: brigette
Aftershocks continue to jolt Andamans; latest quake 6.3 (1/1/05)

Perhaps all those European tourists "sunning and drinking champaign" just yards from the piles of the dead right now should have more care and concern.

I'm sorry, but say that Disney World had a disaster occur. Would someone be keen on riding "It's a small world" while they were still fishing bodies from the water in the ride? I don't think I'd drain the resources of the natives by complaing about room service.

Heck, the bodies will be washing up for weeks down there. I know they don't want to hurt the tourist industry, but the reality is that place is an "ocean tomb" right now.

104 posted on 01/01/2005 4:52:35 AM PST by Caipirabob (Democrats.. Socialists..Commies..Traitors...Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Calpernia

That warning was posted right here in Free Republic before the waves hit. I wonder if any FReepers over there got the word in time.


105 posted on 01/01/2005 5:15:42 AM PST by Trteamer ( (Eat Meat, Wear Fur, Own Guns, FReep Leftists, Drive an SUV, Drill A.N.W.R., Drill the Gulf, Vote)
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To: jpsb; smalltown

bump!!!


106 posted on 01/01/2005 5:15:44 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Southack

What the scientists were saying is that the Pacific was where the tsunamis were and the Indian Ocean has not had any so they ignored the (potential) threat. I think they have changed their minds now...


107 posted on 01/01/2005 6:15:34 AM PST by Pharmboy (Listen...you can still hear the old media sobbing.)
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To: Ready4Freddy

Thanks for the links...you saved me a googling. Happy New Year!


108 posted on 01/01/2005 6:22:31 AM PST by Pharmboy (Listen...you can still hear the old media sobbing.)
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To: Pharmboy

Full details of warnings posted here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1311970/posts?page=13#13


109 posted on 01/01/2005 6:23:35 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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.


110 posted on 01/01/2005 6:26:44 AM PST by firewalk
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To: Pharmboy

There is a story on Fox about a young 8 year ol girl named Tilly who was on the family on the beach with her family on vacation. She saw the waters receding and told her parents that they had to run, that there was a tsunami coming. This was on Phi Phi island, and the parents told everyone to run. The beach was empty when the wave hit.


111 posted on 01/01/2005 6:27:47 AM PST by gitmo (Thanks, Mel. I needed that.)
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To: gitmo

I saw that story posted here this morning. Smart girl.


112 posted on 01/01/2005 6:34:23 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Squantos

Not 100% sure, but that looks like the lagoon at Ko Phi Phi. If you are standing there and can see the wave coming it is a long way to high ground. From what I remember there is some high ground on either end of the island with the middle being quite low and only hundreds of yards across.


113 posted on 01/01/2005 7:43:28 AM PST by USNBandit (Florida military absentee voter number 537.)
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To: Pharmboy

The wisdom of 'witch doctors' and other such 'primitive' types have been sidelined always. I'll bet the next time some old lady takes a look at the animals going for higher ground people will listen eh? My grandmother can personally tell when a monsoon rain is about to hit with her knee. It's almost like a little barometer *LOL*


114 posted on 01/01/2005 7:46:03 AM PST by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: snopercod

It takes the village elders.


115 posted on 01/01/2005 8:14:50 AM PST by First_Salute (May God save our democratic-republican government, from a government by judiciary.)
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To: Calpernia

Hours before it happened? The models have to include the fact that the earthquake was 9.0. But the earthquake itself was originally modeled at 6.8, then 7.8, then 8.5, then 8.9, then 9.0. These revisions didn't happen in minutes - the tsunami models were made long after the waves struck. Don't forget that the 8 PM EST on Saturday is not a day before the quake - it was already Sunday over there. Too late. The waves took only a few minutes after the quake to hit Sumatra, and a couple of hours to reach Sri Lanka and India. The quake was still thought to be in the 7s then - way too small to generate a significant tsunami.


116 posted on 01/01/2005 8:30:06 AM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: coloradan

That is NOT what it says here.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1311970/posts?page=13#13

Original model was charted at 8.0

Confirmed with Australia and Japan.


117 posted on 01/01/2005 8:39:36 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia
The differing magnitude estimates may have come other sources than the one you cited, however, the central point of my post is confirmed by your cite: at 2:59 PM HST the quake occurred. (t=0) At 3:07 (t+8 mins) they first became aware of the quake at all. At this time, islands nearest the epicenter have already been struck by the tsunami. 3:14 PM (t+14 mins) they issued a bulletin stating no threat to pacific nations. By this time, mainland Sumatra was already being hit. At 4:04 PM (t+1 hr 5 min) they revised quake from 8.0 to 8.5. By this time, Sumatra was already destroyed. At approximately 5:30 p.m. (t+2hr 31 min) Internet newswire reports of casualties in Sri Lanka provided PTWC with the first indications of the existence of a destructive tsunami.

As I posted, they did not have advance warning of the tsunami, and incidentally the first indications of the destruction came from across the Indian ocean.

118 posted on 01/01/2005 11:56:18 AM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: Calpernia

You are right however that American authorities thought the quake was in the 8s, not the 7s, when the waves struck.


119 posted on 01/01/2005 11:58:18 AM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: First_Salute
We have the same problem here in America.

The "elders" - those few people who remember how our political system came to be and why it was designed as it was - tell their brothers "when you see your freedom being sucked away, you should run for the mountains."

Very few people listen to the elders here in America, either.

120 posted on 01/01/2005 1:28:39 PM PST by snopercod ("When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk." - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)
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