Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A terrible disaster struck South-East Asia on December 26. Thailand was one of the 12 countries affected. At least 5,291 people were killed in the six provinces that make up Southern Thailand, amongst whom were many Thais and foreigners both adults and children. About 3,716 people are still missing: we believe that their bodies are buried under the sea. And at least 8,457 more are injured. We are in shock as a result of this terrible disaster.

After 2 or 3 days of searching for information regarding the disaster and receiving very little (due to a lack of organization on the part of the government and the Church), we Camillians decided to go to the disaster area in a 7-car caravan through the aid of both the Camillian Hospital and San Camillo Hospital in Bangkok. Forty-five people went (4 doctors, 1 dentist, 15 nurses, drivers, the entertainment team, Bro. Amicale Rebellato (the first volunteer), Fr. Rocco Pairat Sriprasert, Fr. Ackrapan Nanthavanit, Fr. Pongsiri Sangvalpet, 2 temporary professed Camillians and me, Fr. Paul Cherdchai. All of those who went were volunteers. We loaded our ambulances and vans with medicines, medical equipment, water, tents and some other necessary things etc. We decided to go to Phangnga Province, the place that was the most devastated by the tidal waves. We located our mobile team in Ban Bang Moung, Ta Kao Pa District, more than 800 kilometers from Bangkok. It took the whole night (about 12 hours of driving) to arrive there even though the roads were good. There was a lot of traffic, especially big trucks. We left from San Camillo Hospital at 1700 on January 4, 2005 and we arrived at 0500 the next day.

When we arrived at the city hall of Ta Kao Pa District we rested a little and then went to the camp at Bang Moung. There we found about 2000 people (500 families) living in tents. They had already received numerous donations: food, water, clothing, equipment for cooking, etc. We saw that their healthcare needs were being met as well, so we decided to go to another place that had yet to receive aid. Thus we proceeded to the more rural area of Bang Sak Village where 300 people had been dislocated because of the tidal wave. Here we started to provide medical aid to the people, many of whom were children and the elderly. We set up our tents very close to the people and stayed there for 3 days.

Nearly every family in Bang Sak Village lost one or two members during the disaster. We listened their stories of sadness again and again, one family after the next. They felt rejected, a native people without much education: we were the first to arrive there after disaster. The Camillians provided medical care for the children and the elderly and for those who were already badly injured and in the hospital. We also visited people in other camps to offer them psychological and spiritual support. During the evenings we organized games for children to relieve their suffering and mourning. After we started our work with the people in Bang Sak, members of the local church began to arrive and joined us in our efforts. They had not been able to organize a relief response on their own. We also inquired about what further assistance they and the people in the surrounding areas might need.

Many of the people are still traumatized by the tsunami, but at present they seem to have enough food, medicine, water, and clothing. There have been many donations. The people will need to eventually return to their homes where they will need housing, fishing instruments, boats, nets etc. In other words, they need to reconstruct their families.

After 3 days with this people and doing as much as we could, we Camillians agreed that if the Bishops’ Conference of Thailand asks us to take care of this village or any other we are ready to offer our help, to live the Camillian charism (the Bishops’ Conference called me to a meeting for January 10). We realize that there are many organizations who have come to help and may soon leave. We Camillians will do differently, though, taking care of the people until their lives return to some sense of normalcy. We intend to set up a mobile clinic with necessary medical equipment, medicine, and a team for psychological and spiritual support. This will help them until they can move to temporary housing that will be built by the government.

This is how we are trying to respond to the disaster as Camillians in Thailand. We thank all of you for writing to us to show your concern in the midst of this tragic situation. Please pray for the disaster victims in SE Asia.

Fraternally,
Fr. Paul Cherdchai Lertjitlekha
Vice-Provincial of Thailand

Dear Confreres

After our initial response to the emergency needs of the Thai people that were devastated by the tidal wave, we now find ourselves helping a smaller group whose village was completely destroyed. They are a marginalized and less educated people, 300 in all, who were forced to flee from the coast to higher ground in Bang Sak. There they live in one-family tents in a small forest, and their living conditions are miserable. The government has given them these tents for shelter and also food, water, clothing and temporary toilets.

This minority people who we intend to help on a long-term basis is called “Morgan”. Prior to the tsunami they lived for a century in a very traditional way in a village on the coast. Most of them are fishermen with very little equipment and small boats. The majority still speaks their local language, but the young people also speak Thai. Modern technology such as TV has influenced their lifestyle, but they have still conserved their traditional ways of living together. Nearly all of them have received no formal education, and some of them have no identity cards. This causes problems when they want to claim their right for financial assistance from the Thai government. Because they don’t know how to claim this right we intend to help them: they are the poorest among the poor devastated by the tsunami.

Our medical term originally departed from Bangkok on the 9^th January at 17:00 in three vans loaded with medicines, medical equipment, and 10 volunteers (1 doctor, 4 nurses, 3 psychologists and a team for entertainment). Bro. Amicale Rebellato and Fr. Ackrapan Nanthavanit accompanied them. This team helped the “Morgan” for a week and then another “shift” arrived about 1 week later.

We are discussing how the “Morgan” can rebuild their houses, get fishing equipment and boats, etc., and we want to co-ordinate our efforts with the government. It is better to give them nets for fishing than to give them only fish. Those who have a house certificate may not have problems rebuilding, but for those who have no identity cards or documents it is a real problem.

We do not know exactly how long it will take to accomplish our program for the “Morgan”. It may take one month, two months or even longer. In any case, we are trying make a difference by being different from other organizations that help and then quickly leave.

If you want to contribute to this program you can send money either to the Bursar General in Rome or directly to us as the Father General has suggested. Thank you in advance for your generosity, and please pray for these people because they are also our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The Vice-Province account is:
THAI MILITARY BANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED 
PAT PONG BRANCH (BANGKOK THAILAND)
Account No: 170-2-02494-2
Account Name: DONATION FOR M.I. (MISSION)

Fraternally yours
Fr. Paul Cherdchai Lertjitlekha
Vice-provincial of Thailand

Dear Confreres

We have begun the second phase of our response to the tsunami that affected Thailand. As such we are implementing a long-term project (the emergency needs of the people have been largely met). Our 15-person mobile medical team is still serving the “Morgan” , which we foresee will last until the end of February. A smaller team will then takeover.

As you know we are concentrating in the short and the long term on helping a local, traditional group called the “Morgan”. The Thai Vice-Provincial Council decided that the project would be carried out at the level of the Vice Province, and it assigned Fr. Dominic Arkapan Nunthavanit as the one responsible for the medical team. He will live in the camp with the medical team while Fr. Rocco Pairat Sriparsert and I will organize the medical teams and then stay in the camp for about 5 or 6 days at a time.

In the village of the Morgan there are 178 families (650 people of which 170 are children). We started to collect data systematically from the beginning because all their documents were lost. The disaster killed 64 people, 15 of whom were children; 135 houses were completely destroyed; 43 houses can be repaired; fishing equipment and all the boats were lost. 

In the camp someone continues to donate essential things for living (rice, food, and clothing). We have the responsibility of organizing and managing these donations. On the 18^th of January the people moved to the temporary houses made by the Thai army where they will wait for more permanent housing. Thus their living conditions are a little bit better: than before when they lived in tents on a hill. Now they are grouped together in a small space in temporary houses next to their original houses, which were completely destroyed because they were on the coast. 

To recap our efforts, as members of the Camillian Task Force Bro. Gianni Dalla Rizza, Fr. Sante Tocchetto, Fr. Renato Altrezzi, Bro. Chaisak and I visited the Morgan on January 15^th and 16^th Our goal was to see how we might help their families concretely, particularly the children, through providing scholarships, fishing equipment, boats etc. Bro. Gianni seems to be very enthusiastic about helping the children: he is already thinking about scholarships for 177 of them over the next 7-10 years. On January 16^th Fr. Rocco Pairat, Fr. Giacomo Virot, Fr. John Baptist Ratchanai and I went with another medical team and stayed for one week. Fr. Contarin arrived with his characteristic enthusiasm, and we began to prepare the long-team project that involves houses, boats and fishing equipment. 

We are collaborating with the local church and the local governmental authorities. The German-Thai person, Willy, has already promised to help the “Morgan” by building 30 permanent houses, starting with those people who have a house certificate. A German association named Malteser wants to build 20 permanent houses and the French association “Enfant”, in collaboration with the Surat Thani Diocese, promised to give each family 50,000 baht for house building. Missio Austria is interested in collaborating as well. They may contribute 40 or 50 houses.

The permanent house is about 6x8 square meters and is a one-level structure.  The cost of the house will be about 130,000-150,000 Thai baht, equivalent to 3,000 euro (1 euro = 51 thai baht).We are also preparing a project to give scholarships to the 177 children in the village. Another project is the purchase of fishing equipment.

Please pray for the victims affected by the tsunami all around Southeast Asia, especially the children. 

Dear confreres,  as Camillians we are trying our best to help these people because it is our charism to work with the sick and help the poor.

20^th January 2005

Fraternally yours
Fr. Paul Cherdchai Lertjitlekha
Vice-Provincial

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