Some 410 bodies had remained unidentified and were kept at Ban Bang Maruean morgue in Phang Nga's Takua Pa district.

Two hundred of them were buried in October and another 100 have been buried this month.

Now, the Tsunami Victim Identification Centre plans to bury the last 110 unidentified bodies from December 1-8, its director Col Khemarin Hassasiri said.

The bodies being buried would be preserved in the best condition possible, he said, in case they need to be dug up again to try to identify them or return them to the victims' families.

All bodies would be put in aluminium coffins and buried in graves set in concrete so they are waterproof. That is believed to be the best way to preserve them.

"Officers will continue working for about six months and will then consult related organisations on whether the centre should be closed," Khemarin said.

Bang Maruean morgue was the site where bodies of tsunami victims were preserved in Phang Nga before some of the bodies were moved to Ban Mai Khao morgue in Phuket in January 2005 despite a protest by relatives of the victims.

Local families wanted all bodies kept at Bang Maruean morgue, saying it would be an easier place to reclaim bodies. They also wanted the site to be promoted for tourism.

So now, the last unidentified bodies will go back to Bang Maruean morgue.

A source said the bodies that remain unidentified are suspected to be of foreign workers, probably from Burma, whose relatives and friends haven't dared to reclaim them as the individuals were working in Thailand illegally without identification documents.