Ahern visits Thai victim identification centre

THAILAND: The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, announced on his arrival in Thailand the setting up of a consular office on the island of Phuket to assist with the identification of Irish victims of the tsunami tragedy. Clifford Coonan reports from Phuket

Mr Ahern visited Phuket yesterday with a delegation of Irish aid officials to survey the damage to southern Thailand and check on the progress of the search for the three Irish people who are still unaccounted for after the St Stephen's Day tsunami.

"We want to leave an enduring footprint in Asia," Mr Ahern told a gathering of the Irish community - local business people, diplomats and volunteers - yesterday evening. "We are setting up a number of projects for the medium to long term. We don't just want to leave when the cameras leave."

The Minister is due to leave Thailand today for Indonesia and he will then travel to Sri Lanka.

The number of Irish on the missing list was three, the Minister said. They are Lucy Coyle, from Killiney, Co Dublin; Conor Keightley, from Cookstown, Co Tyrone; and Michael Murphy, from Co Wexford.

One Irish victim of the tragedy - Eilis Finnegan - has already been identified and her remains have been flown back to Ireland.

"The Thais have requested that Ireland provide forensic assistance. We met local Thai government officials who have assured us that every effort in finding the missing Irish will continue," Mr Ahern said after a briefing with Thailand's interior minister, Mr Bhokin Bhalakula.

"I was here to thank the Thai government for all their assistance. We were also looking at what kind of assistance we can give in the medium to long term."

He said that the Irish delegation would be looking at how it could best co-ordinate with the NGOs. "We want to get some indication of what needs to be done, particularly with a view to the poignancy of the Irish connection."

Mr Ahern visited a victim identification centre where two Garda forensic experts are assisting the Thai authorities in the search for the bodies of the three missing Irish people.

"The guards have all the DNA information and they will feed this into the sophisticated system here over the next few days," Mr Ahern said.

Mr Bhalakula emphasised that the Thai authorities would do everything in their power to help the families locate their missing loved ones and repatriate the bodies.

"We have told everyone that each body will be repatriated free of charge," the Thai minister said. "We will pay for all the hospital accommodation for the injured. It doesn't mean that we are rich - compared to Ireland and other European countries, we are poor. But we want everyone to know that we will do everything possible."

Mr Bhalakula said that about 3,700 unidentified bodies needed to be identified with the help of DNA tests. These remains would then be cross-checked with the thousands of missing to establish their identities. He estimated that this process could take about two weeks.

Some of the DNA is being sent to China for testing because of the sheer volume of laboratory work involved.

"What we really need is social relief. We have 350 orphans. We will take care of them, but there are 15,000 families affected by this disaster and that will not finish in two months. Many people are unemployed. We need to make sure governments lift their ban on people coming to Thailand. If the tourists come, then the people can work, and this will help with social relief," Mr Bhalakula said.

The Thai minister estimated that up to 800 fishing boats had been destroyed, causing major difficulties in the local economy. Mr Ahern offered help in building up the fishing fleet again.

Representatives of the Irish aid organisations said that they were very impressed with the Thai response to the disaster. They explained that their main focus would be on the badly-hit regions of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and southern India.

Mr Justin Kilcullen, of Trócaire, said that it was vital to show solidarity with the Thai people at this time.

"We will liaise with local NGOs here and fit the relief efforts into a co-ordinated, sustainable aid plan. The Thai relief programme has been very well organised," he said.

The issue of access to European markets for Thai prawns and tuna, currently the subject of trade controls, had been raised by a number of Thai officials.

"One of the first things the Thais said was: 'Give us a break'," Mr Kilcullen said.

"We need to look beyond the disaster to the economic circumstances. It's difficult for the Thais to get access to the European markets with their prawns and their tuna. Issues of trade are coming up and we need to redress the imbalances of trade rules."

Mr Joe Arnold, of Concern, said that the aim of the mission was to obtain a proper assessment of what was needed as well as a sense of how co-ordination with the United Nations was going.

Once that was in place, Concern would see how it and other NGOs could fit in.

"The Thais realise that if this shock is to be overcome, then they need to get back to normalcy. They want the normal tourist industry back. They also want the fishing industry back," Mr Arnold said. "This country was never a colony and the Thais have a very particular culture, so we will make sure that our programme is sensitively handled. There is a very well developed network of NGOs. So, if it's needed, there are one or two we can collaborate with."

Mr John O'Shea, of Goal, said that the main the focus of his organisation's efforts would be on the worst-affected areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and southern India.

"This is not our gig. These people appear to have responded effectively to the disaster. I've been to every disaster zone in the world in the last 27 years and you never see an effective response from the government like this," Mr O'Shea said.

"This is a positive story in aid terms as far as I'm concerned. It's not as traumatic as in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and southern India, where we will be more needed."