Memorial event held for tsunami victims in Thai South

RANONG, THAILAND, December 26 (TNA) - A memorial event was held in Thailand's southern coastal Ranong Province on Thursday, marking the 9th anniversary of the 2004 tragic tsunami, which battered six Thai provinces along the Andaman coast. For this year, in remembrance of those who perished in the devastating natural disaster, Ranong's disaster prevention and mitigation office organised the event at the provincial tsunami memorial in the Gum Puan locality of Suk Samran District to mourn for the tsunami victims. In Ranong alone, 45 communities in four districts were hit by the tsunami and 151 people lost their lives, including foreign tourists. The giant tsunami ravished Thailand and many other countries along the Indian Ocean on December 26, of 2004. Meanwhile, Chawalit Nidonrat, chief of Ranong's disaster prevention and mitigation office, told reporters that his province has been allocated a budget of 20 million baht from the Office of Strategy Management for Southern Province Cluster (OSM Andaman) to construct two tsunami shelters near the Andaman coast, which are expected to be completed in mid-2014. (TNA)