Red Cross calls for sustained aid for Thai tsunami survivors
BANGKOK, Dec 14, 2006 (AFP)
The Red Cross called Thursday on Thailand to continue its aid to tsunami survivors along the Andaman coast, saying they are still struggling to put their lives back together after the 2004 disaster.

"The Thai government has done an excellent job in recovery programs in terms of houses, infrastructure and utilities," Bhupinder Tomar, head of the group's mission for tsunami recovery program to Thailand, told a news conference.

"But people down there are still suffering and (trying) to get back to their normal lives before the tsunami," said Tomar from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Some 5,400 people were killed in Thailand on December 26, 2004, when the killer waves tore across the Indian Ocean.

Roughly half of the victims in the kingdom were foreign holidaymakers. Tourism, which accounts for six percent of the Thai economy, was badly hit by the disaster, but is now almost back to pre-tsunami levels.

Tomar said the Thai government should continue to support people affected by the tsunami and called on Bangkok to implement job training programs.

"It will take about four to five years for Thailand to completely recover from the big devastation of tsunami and it needs continued and consistent efforts from the government for rehabilitation," he said.

Thailand is to mark the second anniversary of the December 26 tsunami, which killed 220,000 people in a dozen countries.

© AFP Agence France-Presse