Posted on 01/03/2005 11:00:52 AM PST by tbird5
As many as 5,000 Americans are still unaccounted for a week after the world's deadliest tsunami pounded a dozen countries across the Indian Ocean, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said.
Powell told reporters aboard his plane en route to Bangkok that the confirmed toll of Americans still stood at 15 with a defense department worker listed as missing.
"The number of private citizens or citizens unaccounted for still lingers around 4-5,000," he said, adding the figure was based on phone calls from relatives or friends inquiring about their whereabouts.
Powell said this did not mean they were necessarily casualties in the catastrophe.
But he added: "We can't ignore the very distinct possibility that there are Americans within this number who have lost their lives. We just don't know that."
There is a wonderful young woman from my office who traveled to Thailand and Nepal this Christmas...she's not back here yet, but we're hoping everything is fine, as we have no reason to believe otherwise.
"Millions go to Thailand every year for sex - especially, but not exclusively, for young boys. Others go with families, some are lepidopterists and go because of their butterflies. The fact remains, however, sex is a thriving industry there."
Yes, it is, and in Hong Kong and Brazil and a number of other countries. The vast majority of those who lost their lives in this disaster, however, had nothing to do with the sex trade.
It's irrelevant, quite frankly. Go look at the pictures, please, and ask yourself what difference it makes if there is a sex trade in these countries. Then go to any large city in the United States and drive around late at night. There's a thriving sex trade here, too.
Give it a rest, please.
I haven't seen the number reported. As far as the media ignoring this. When something helps whatever agenda within the media target area of the day is, it is reported and "analyzed" ad nauseum. If it hurts their precious agenda, it's ignored or covered up.
"I understand the see the world, bit, but I've never had any desire to vacation in Sri Lanka. I bet many, if not most, Americans didn't even think it was possible to vacation there.."
Are you kidding? Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It has been a tourist destination for many decades now.
Perhaps you're just speaking from ignorance.
What difference does it make what nationality they are? An American life is no more or less valuable than any other.
Wow, that post sure brought the lynch mob out.
Who appointed you to tell people to "give it a rest"?
Why are you assuming it makes a difference why people are there?
Are you in law enforcement? I hope not.
Either prove it or shut the hell up. I'm sick to death of reading this crap on every thread about this disaster.
Americans in Thai? Military, retirees, retired military, normal people who know the area as a vacation spot, missionaries....
Gee, is it just POSSIBLE Bush actually knew more than most of his critics when he proclaimed flags flown at half-staff? Is it possible?
Everybody wants to be a President....
I don't know about just the past couple of years, but 5-10 yrs ago Thailand had the fastest-growing number of new AIDs/HIV infections in the world. It is notorious for the sex trade. When someone mentions a vacation to Bangkok, knowing looks are traded around, and it doesn't take a prude or bigot to know the score. I've even known one particularly exploitative jerk who leered about his "adventure travels" there. I think he's on serious steroids for HC now...
I've wanted to go there for years, I just never have made it yet. Especially Phuket -- one of the top 5 dive spots in the world. Lots of resorts and hotels, most very family-friendly. They don't build all or those hotels and resorts if nobody goes there.
I think you are probably accurate, though, about not too many Americans having a general awareness about Phuket and Phi Phi being the large resort destination that it is. One certainly is not going to go somewhere if they don't know that it exists. It is far more well known in Europe; they seem the venture futher from home than we do. And the prices are supposed to be really cheap for world-class resorts. I had a coworker that had to spend a couple of weeks working in Indonesia, and he had a weekend free. He was a new diver, and knew I had traveled around a bit, and asked for advice on where to go when he was free for the weekend. I suggested Phuket, and he had never heard of it, but he arranged to go there anyway. He came back raving about it. The best dives he had ever experienced, and he stayed in a 5-star resort and ate for very little $$.
When I was younger, I used to spend 2 or three weeks a year at Club Med resorts. (The club on Phuket has what the call a mini-club, which is a club within a club that caters to children with special activities for them -- so the facility is family oriented). I never spent Christmas at one of their resorts, but I recall one of their employees telling me that they get two types of guests during that week. The first type is generally miserable, but luckily they are few in number. They have no family or they don't get along with their family, so they are trying to forget it is Christmas. The second type of guest (the majority) are whole families, spending the Christmas vacation together in a warm spot. It looks, based on what I have seen on some websites, that some partial or whole families are missing -- up to three generations in some cases.
Re 32 "Why? The people are wonderfully friendly and kind, the food is brilliant, and the area is certainly more unspoilt then what I remember of Hawaii. There is also plenty of cultural stuff, elephant rides etc. Northern Thailand is even nicer then the South IMO.
I'd pick Thaliand over Hawaii any day."
I'll defend you on this. This is so close to my own thinking. Mind you I'm not at a point in my life where I can pick up and vacation half way across the world, but if I were- Thailand, Sri Lanka etc. would not be attractive choices. Perhaps I am ignorant, but no matter how beautiful these places may be, the prostitution aspect would overshadow it, IMHO.
5000 missing Americans? Trust Colon Bowel to get it wrong!
Ping. Secretary Powell reports as many as 4,000-5,000 Americans remain unaccounted for in the countries affected by the tsunami.
I'm not denying that anyone goes there, just curious as to their desire. I didn't consider dive trips.
I guess I'm so security concious that I wonder about going places where there is not much of a western presence or influence.
You would be incorrect.
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