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Published on December 17, 2007

One in four of the community's 4,000-plus population perished in the Boxing Day disaster.

The survivors who have chosen to stay are stoic. They have had to be even more self-reliant than before in the wake of the tragedy that destroyed their livelihoods and their infrastructure.

With the memories still fresh in their minds, they set about rebuilding their lives.

On December 25, they will hold a seminar on how Ban Nam Khem is preparing for the likelihood of another crisis so that they won't be caught out again.

"We learned first-hand that when a crisis strikes, we can't wait for others to come to our rescue," said Maitree Jongkrai-jak, who lost five family members to the tsunami.

When Ban Nam Khem was hit, 1,270 homes were destroyed and 76 others damaged; 661 people died and 765 remain missing.

For this seaside community, the casualties and damage were stunning. The disaster shocked the survivors so much that many moved away. Much land remains empty, with the former occupants either dead, missing or living elsewhere.

But some survivors refused to give up hope and are still fighting for their community.

Among them is Prathan Lailak, an ice-cream seller. Prathan is now also vice chairman of the Ban Nam Khem Community Bank, a self-defence volunteer and a local radio host.

"I have learned a lot of things because I want to contribute to my community," Prathan said.

Prathan and some 40 others are helping the community to become self-reliant.

As well as establishing the community bank and developing tourist attractions, they are involved in resource and disaster management.

"Following the disaster, we received a lot of assistance from other parts of the country and the world. But we have to stand on our own feet, because we cannot expect others to always help us," Maitree said.

Ban Nam Khem was helped by more than 20 tsunami funds. But many have now dried up, so the community established the bank in April of 2005, Maitree said.

It initially had 150 members with total savings of just Bt10,560. Today, the bank has 1,034 members and cash flow is between Bt7 million and Bt8 million. Locals can borrow to restore their livelihoods.

In a bid to ensure sustainable activities, local leaders plan to open the Ban Nam Khem Cultural Centre.

A boat museum will be constructed on a 13-rai plot alongside eight mud houses where visitors can enjoy home-stay vacations and experience the local way of life. The land is 3 kilometres from the coast.

"We will turn the Ban Nam Khem community into a living museum where visitors can see the community the way it really is. Visitors will have the opportunity to walk around our former settlements and meet with survivors, who will tell about family members who perished or went missing in the tsunami," Maitree said.

He believes the living museum should be welcoming visitors as early as next year.

"Students of Silpakorn University have helped us translate many stories into English so that foreigners can understand our community," he added.

The community will develop a tourist walkway through a mangrove forest that will also lead to key community activities such as fishing.

People have also extensively surveyed their community to ensure they can respond swiftly in any emergency. "We have prepared evacuation plans," Maitree said.

Locals have now prepared a book about the Ban Nam Khem community: its past, its present and the future it is anticipating with so many plans to be implemented. The book is scheduled for release on December 26.

"We have successfully been returning our community to its sufficiency and simple, happy way of life. Disaster victims from around the world have come to see how we can do this," Maitree said. "What we want to emphasise is that locals must learn about self-reliance".

Seksan Thanyathavorn, a Phang Nga-based official of the Raks Thai Foundation, said Ban Nam Khem residents were active in the development of their hometown. "We are here to support them by offering advice and training," he said.

Despite the outstanding success achieved by the locals, Seksan said the government should provide assistance, especially with rescue operations. "They are still at the beginning process," he said.

The Raks Thai Foundation has given Bt4.8 million to the occupational-rehabilitation fund in Ban Nam Khem.

On December 26, an event commemorating the third anniversary of the tsunami is planned to bring together relevant parties, including the Local Administration Department, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, National Disaster Warning Centre and tsunami survivors, to discuss problems that need to be tackled.

The problems include lack of citizenship documents and title deeds among people who have long lived along the coast of Thailand.

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation