THAILAND: Thai and Japanese people in Bangkok take part in a Buddhist ceremony to mark the first anniversary of Japan's earthquake and tsunami

Record ID: 466136

  • Title: THAILAND: Thai and Japanese people in Bangkok take part in a Buddhist ceremony to mark the first anniversary of Japan's earthquake and tsunami
  • Date: 12th March 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF THAI PERFORMANCE PARTICIPANTS WATCHING PERFORMANCE
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand, Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVA62PRB60EX5B5F5D5PAD7DZNEB
  • Story Text: Around 2,000 Thais and Japanese attended a Buddhist ceremony in Bangkok on Sunday (March 11) to mark the first anniversary of Japan's earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and crippled the nation.
    The Japanese embassy, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Bangkok Administration and Thai Health Promotion Foundation took part in the event.
    Buddhist monks prayed and people offered food and clothes to the monks as part of the ceremony which Buddhists believe wishes the dead well and and blesses the living.
    One Thai official said the event showed how Thailand and Japan supported each other.
    "Thai and Japan have a long relationship. We have close tie relations. The Thai people sent help to Japan during the tsunami last year and we are also making a music video to support them. While there were floods in Thailand, Japan also sent help to Thailand," said Dr. Krisda Ruangareerat, manager of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
    The event also gave people a chance to experience each other's cultures through several performances from both countries.
    A year after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeastern coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for, the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs.
    The Japanese people earned the world's admiration for their composure, discipline and resilience in the face of the disaster but few expect their hardships to be over any time soon.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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