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10,000 gather at ceremony of hope, healing
By Donna Leinwand
PHUKET, Thailand — More than 10,000 people dressed in white converged on a soccer stadium Wednesday to mourn the tragedy that has consumed this country since the Dec. 26 tsunami killed more than 5,000 people.

People of differing races and religious creeds came together in a ceremony held at the Saphanhin Sports Stadium in Phuket, Wednesday.

As the Buddhist-themed memorial drew to a close, mourners released hundreds of white lanterns, powered by hot air, which rose from the stadium and floated overhead, symbolizing the release of the spirit.

Thai Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula, who led the sunset ceremony, said in an interview that the country was ready to repair the damage inflicted by the tsunami. Of the four provinces most affected by the tsunami, three had concluded their search-and-rescue operations, recovery of the dead and disease-prevention measures and were ready to begin reconstruction, he said. In the fourth province, more than 5,000 people continued to search for bodies.

Bhalakula said if Phuket, one of Thailand's major resort areas, recovers quickly, the other stricken areas will follow. Business owners have told him that they are competing with one another to see who can reopen first.

The people here "have a strong heart," he said.

The tsunami, which devastated Thailand and the surrounding Indian Ocean region, killed 5,288 people and injured 8,457 others in Thailand alone. The Thai government says it is still searching for more than 3,700 people reported missing.

U.S. Embassy officials have confirmed that eight Americans died here, and they have strong evidence 13 others were in the area when the tsunami struck and are missing, spokesman Ken Foster said.

The embassy has fielded 20,000 inquiries about people who were thought to be in the region and could not be located. The embassy is still trying to determine whether 4,000 of those people were in the tsunami-hit area.

"It hurts, it hurts badly," said Apiradee Tantiwit, 42, of Phuket, who volunteered to greet people as they entered Saphan Hin stadium for the ceremony.

"We've never had this type of disaster," Tantiwit said. "I know friends who died. Many friends are lost. Many others have their lives, but have lost their businesses."

The memorial, called a "Merit performing ceremony for the victims both foreign and Thai," was meant to provide some comfort to those who were grieving, she said. The ceremony was primarily Buddhist, but included prayers from Christian and Muslim clerics.

In the merit ceremony, people dedicate their own good deeds to those who have died suddenly to ensure them a good afterlife, Tantiwit said. The white clothing, she said, conveys a feeling of calm and peace. Candles are lit to chase away spiritual darkness.

"So much has been lost," said Pachongsak Padamasankh, an attorney from Bangkok. "This is moral support for those who are still living."

During the ceremony, 1,200 Buddhist monks, who traveled from 14 provinces, chanted prayers for the dead and lit orange candles inside glass globes. Lighted incense sticks were then passed through the crowd of people sitting cross-legged before 10,000 lanterns that had been set out on the field. The lanterns were lit with the incense sticks as the monks chanted prayers and sang a joyful song.

"Light kills the darkness within all of us," Padamasankh said. "When we come together, it shows unity."

Debbie Brophy, a native of Ireland, came to the stadium Wednesday with her husband and four children because they wanted to pay their respects to friends and neighbors who died in the tsunami. Brophy, who lives on the beach on the eastern side of Phuket, said a local lady known for feeding the stray dogs on the beach was carried away by the water as she tried to save others.

Brophy's husband had walked on the beach that morning and came home to tell the family that the sea had just disappeared. Not knowing anything about tsunamis, the Brophys watched the phenomenon from their garden. When the tsunami struck, the water went as far as their garden but did not overtake the house.

"We were very lucky," she said. Her sons had just gotten boogie boards for Christmas and they had planned to spend part of the day at the beach.

The ceremony, she said, "represents some sort of closure, not that I'll ever forget what happened."

source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-01-05-ceremony-phuket_x.htm