THAILAND: SOLDIERS BEGIN CONSTRUCTING TEMPORY SHELTERS AS RETRAINED STRAY DOGS SEARCH FOR MORE BODIES KILLED BY TIDAL WAVE. HOMELESS IN TENTS AT TAKUAPA.

Record ID: 647399

  • Title: THAILAND: SOLDIERS BEGIN CONSTRUCTING TEMPORY SHELTERS AS RETRAINED STRAY DOGS SEARCH FOR MORE BODIES KILLED BY TIDAL WAVE. HOMELESS IN TENTS AT TAKUAPA.
  • Date: 6th January 2005
  • Summary: (EU) TAKUAPA, THAILAND (JANUARY 5, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS: TENTS. 0.03 2. CU/WS: OF PEOPLE SITTING IN TENTS. 0.12 3. CU: CHILDREN PLAYING. 0.17 4. MV: PEOPLE SITTING IN TENTS. 0.22 5. CU: CHILD COLOURING. 0.26 6. SCU; FAMILY EATING. 0.31 7. WS/CU: OF BABY BEING SWUNG IN HAMMOCK. (2 SHOTS) 0.38 8. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) REFUGEE SOMKID SUKKUL SAYING: "I am homeless now. I have nothing left. I only have the clothes on my back. If the government wants to build a house for me, I would really be grateful." 0.51 9. WS: PEOPLE DIGGING THROUGH A LARGE PILE OF DONATED USED CLOTHES. 0.55 10. CU: BOY GRINNING AS HE SHOWS OFF A PAIR OF TROUSERS FROM THE PILE. 1.02 11. SCU: WOMAN LOOKING AT SKIRT. 1.07 12. WS: PEOPLE SORTING THROUGH CLOTHES. 1.12 13. VARIOUS: OF THAI SOLIDERS LAYING FOUNDATION FOR HOUSE. (5 SHOTS) 1.30 (EU) PHANG NGA, THAILAND (JANUARY 6, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 14. WS: DESTROYED HOUSES. 1.33 15. CU: DOG DIGGING THROUGH DEBRIS. 1.42 16. VARIOUS: OF SOLDIERS WITH DOGS LOOKING THROUGH DEBRIS. (4 SHOTS) 1.59 17. LAS: DOG WALKING AROUND. 2.06 18. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) CAPTAIN PUUTAPONG JAENGSUK, ARMY OFFICIAL IN-CHARGE OF SNIFFER DOGS, SAYING: "I think they can work better than the foreign dogs because Thai dogs are used to this enivronment and temperature so they have more patience in this type of activity." 2.27 19. TRAVEL: DESTROYED VILLAGE. 2.35 20. MV: WORKERS INCLUDING SOLDIER WITH DOG UNCOVERING BODY. 2.39 21. CU: BODY COVERED WITH DEBRIS. 2.43 22. CU: WALLET TAKEN FROM DEAD BODY. 2.48 23. CU: DOG SITTING. 2.51 24. SCU: RESCUERS LOOKING AT WALLET FOUND IN BODY. 2.56 25. WS: DOG SNIFFING IN DEBRIS. 3.00 26. CU: TWO BODIES FOUND BY DOGS WRAPPED IN WHITE SHEET. 3.04 27. CU: RESCUER. 3.07 28. CU: RESIDENT WATCHING. 3.11 29. CU: BODY WRAPPED IN PLASTIC. 3.15 30. MV: BODIES WRAPPED IN PLASTIC LYING ON ROADSIDE. 3.17 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st January 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TAKUAPA AND PHANG NGA, THAILAND
  • Country: Thailand
  • Reuters ID: LVA842ZCL1YXK471JQGWL3I6C9EY
  • Story Text: Soldiers begin constructing temporary shelters as
    retrained stray dogs step in to help find more bodies in
    Thailand.



    For the residents of the coastal village of Nam Kaem
    in Takuapa district in Khao Lak, colourful tents are now
    home. Six hundred families whose homes have been flattened
    by the December 26 tsunami were sheltering in this tent
    city on Wednesday (January 5), 8 to 9 kilometres (8 miles)
    inland.

    Despite the loss of their homes, these are the lucky
    ones. In almost each tent, at least one family member is
    missing or was killed when massive waves devastated their
    village.

    Fisherman Sumkid Sukkul, was in the sea with his wife
    when the tsunami happened. Both he and his wife jumped off
    the boat but his wife was swept away by the force of the
    waves.

    "I am homeless now. I have nothing left. I only have the clothes
    on my back. If the government wants to build a
    house for me, I would really be grateful," he said.

    The Thai government faces the huge task of rebuilding
    its southern province devastated by the tsunami.

    Thai soliders have begun laying the foundation for the
    first temporary shelter which is being constructed next to
    the tent city.

    The government has announced that they will build
    temporary shelters for the tens of thousands of people left
    homeless. These temporary shelters will be home for
    residents for the next six months.

    As the homeless adjusted to their new shelters, dogs
    assisted in the relief effort. Rescue workers looking for
    thousands of bodies in Thailand on Thursday (January 6)
    were getting much-needed help from man's best friend.

    In the village in Phang Nga, dogs are being used to
    sniff under the debris and rubble of destroyed houses
    looking for trapped bodies. The dogs used to be stray,
    roaming the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok.

    When the Thai King, a known animal lover, ordered to
    get the dogs off the street in 2003, he did not want them
    killed. Instead, the Thai army rounded them up and put them
    through training as sniffer dogs.

    Two years later, 50 dogs form the country's first
    canine security team.

    Not only have they been trained to sniff for bombs,
    explosives and illegal drugs but they have also undergone
    training on search and rescue missions.

    Now the dogs are getting their first big assignment
    searching for dead bodies trapped undernearth the debris in
    areas devastated by the Asian tsunami.

    "I think they can work better than the foreign dogs
    because Thai dogs are used to this enivronment and
    temperature so they have more patience in this type of
    activity," said Capt. Puutapong Jaengsuk.

    The dogs are on a five-day mission to find as many
    bodies as they can. After 5 days, the Thai army will call
    off the search and shift the operations to cleaning up.




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