As the death toll is expected to rise in ten countries in the aftermath of a massive tidal wave that swept across south eastern Asia triggered by the most powerful earthquake in the world in more than 40 years, humanitarian agencies say the scope of the tragedy is unprecedented as they began what the United Nations said would become the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen.
Sunday's massive quake of 9.0 magnitude near Aceh province, located off the Indonesian island of Sumatra's northern tip, sent 800kph (500mph) waves surging across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
As of Wednesday, the death toll soared to 80,000 in 10 countries around the Indian Ocean - mainly Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. International Red Cross officials reported that more than 500,000 injured and predicted that the death toll could pass 100,000 as millions were rendered homeless in the disaster, contending with hunger and the threat of disease.
The Thai resort island of Phuket, popular with gay tourists from Asia, Australia, North America and Europe, was struck by a 10-meter high tidal wave. Patong, the main beach of Phuket and the tourist areas of Phang Nga, Krabi and Phi Phi islands, which was the backdrop for the Hollywood movie The Beach, were especially hard hit. Phone lines were cut and survivors rescued from the island have also spoken of massive damage. The beach city is one Southeast Asia's most popular tourist destinations, with the peak period during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Thailand has declared a three-day mourning period for disaster victims from December 28-30, 2004 after tidal waves killed an estimated 2,000 people in southern coastal regions.
An openly gay Chicago-based celebrity interior decorator who was vacationing in Sri Lanka said in a CNN interview on Monday that all he could see was "utter devastation" in the wake of the deadly tsunami that slammed the island.
"We were completely devastated yesterday morning," the 33-year-old said. "There was absolutely no warning."
He said that he and a friend were sleeping in a beachfront cottage at Arugam Bay on Sri Lanka's eastern coast when he heard a loud noise and the roof was ripped off. The two grabbed a telephone pole but lost their grips when a second large wave hit 30 seconds later. He climbed onto the roof of a home while his friend is missing.
"I'm sitting here with nothing - no passport, no money, no anything, in shorts that somebody gave me... the bottom line is, we desperately need help here," he said.
International relief agencies say cholera, malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea and hepatitis epidemics now pose the gravest threat to the tens of thousands who survived but are displaced. Governments and aid agencies around the globe have pledged cash funds and despatched emergency medical and rehabilitation teams to the affected areas.
In Brussels, the 25-nation European Union's executive Commission made an initial pledge on Sunday of 3 million euros (US$4 million) and announced on Monday that it could mobilise up to 30 million euros.
The United States promised to play a leading role in relief efforts and has already released $400,000 and is expected to provide US$35 million in aid for victims.
A 21-member Japanese disaster relief team carrying tents, medical supplies and drinking water arrived in Colombo early Tuesday. Japan has pledged 3.1 billion yen (US$30 million) in emergency aid to southern Asian nations and will ship 53 million yen (US$515,000) worth of rice to disaster-ravaged Asian nations through the UN World Food Program. The funds and food add to about 50 million yen (US$485,000) worth of tents, blankets and other emergency supplies Japan had said it would airlift to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia later this week.
The Australian government increased its aid to US$27 million for emergency relief operations through the Red Cross and United Nations humanitarian agencies while China has dispatched to Indonesia a team of more than 40 experts for relief and rescue work, and offered 21.63 million yuan (about US$2.7 million) emergency humanitarian aid to India, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Relief agencies and the Geneva-based International Red Cross Society have launched fundraising appeals to help those affected by massive tidal waves in Asia.
More details on how to donate and Phuket update on page 2.
Phuket update
Connect Guesthouse, which is gay owned and operated, said in an email to associates that their property survived the disaster, as did gay bars in or near the "Paradise Complex" in Patong Beach.
As of the time of publication, there are no changes so far concerning the upcoming 6th Annual Phuket Gay Festival which is slated to be held from February 9 to 13 2005.
In the email sent by LYC, the co-secretary of Bangok-based LYC Thailand wrote: "Apart from praying for those affected by this natural disaster, you can also donate money, food and clothes to help them. And if you are not already doing so regularly, I strongly encourage you to donate blood to the Red Cross - as I know their reserve was low even before the tsunami hit and they will surely need a lot more to save lives during the coming New Year."
Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local Red Cross chapter; or you can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org (International Response Fund).
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Readers may find the list of telephone numbers for some of the embassies in Bangkok useful. The numbers are, to the best of our knowledge, up-to-date. Expect to hear a recorded message giving another number for the emergency duty officer.
Australia 66(0) 2 287 2680
Belgium 66 (0) 2 679 5454
Canada 66 (0) 2 636 0540
China 66 (0) 2 245 7032-3 or 2 245 7036
Denmark 66 (0) 2 213 2021-5 or 245 7036
Finland 66 (0) 2 256 9306-9
France 66 (06) 2 657 5100
Germany 66 (0) 2 287 9000
Ireland 66 (0) 638 0303
Israel 66 (0) 2 260 4854-9
Italy 66 (0) 2 285 4090-3
Japan 66 (0) 2 252 6151-9
South Korea 66 (0) 2 247 7537
Netherlands 66 (0) 2 254 7701-5
New Zealand 66 (0) 2 254 2530
Norway 66 (0) 2 261 0230-5
Russia 66 (0) 2 234 9824
Singapore 66 (0) 2 286 1434
South Korea 66 (0) 2 247 7537
Spain 66 (0) 2 252 6112
Sweden 66 (0) 2 263 7211 or 2 263 7239
Switzerland 66 (0) 2 253 0156
Taiwan 66 (0) 2 670 0200-1
United Kingdom 66 (0) 2 3058333
USA 66 (0) 2 205 4000
Readers should note that Phuket has experienced many disruptions to both landline phone services and mobile phone networks throughout the day, and may experience difficulty in getting through.