KRABI, DEC 25 (TNA) – Thailand prepares memorial services
to mark the 14th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami that ravaged the
country’s Andaman coast.
Krabi province will hold commemorative event and religious
ceremony at Au Nang on Thursday in remembrance of the 722 victims of the
tsunami in the southern province.
Head of Au Nang local administrative organization Phankham
Kittithonkul said people would attend the multi-faith service on Koh Phi Phi
Island, a popular tourist destination of Krabi province.
Divers would lay wreaths at an underwater memorial located
about one kilometer off the coast of Koh Phi Phi Island, he said.
Memorial service and commemorative activities have been
organized every year since 2005 at communities hit by the Boxing Day tsunami in
Phang-nga and Phuket. 
Officials will deliver a statement by Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-ocha before a moment of silence is observed.
The strong earthquake on December 26 triggered a tsunami
across the Indian Ocean in one of the biggest natural disasters in history,
killing 226,000 people. In Thailand, the
tsunami killed over 5,000 people, about 2,000 foreign tourists, more than 1,000
remain unaccounted for.(TNA)
