Dear Friends,
Here is a long awaited update regarding the KPT project. Since our main objective is to get as much money directly to the children of Koh Phrathong, we have been analyzing the best ways to do this. After lots of research and endless calls, we found there is no easy way. We had to wait for some of our contributors to go the island on their own expense and give us an update on what the situation is over there.

The first important point that they related back to us is how a huge amount of help and money was allocated to “some of the affected areas and people” without real control over who gets what. This in turn has created friction and some tension between the evacuees from Koh Phrathong that are on the mainland and the residents of the mainland villages where the evacuees are sheltered, which are still very poor.

Another issue is that of title deeds for the land the fishermen had their houses on is a big problem since they either didn't exist (the person just decided to build their home where they saw fit) or , in the case of Pak Jok, only 6 title deeds exist yet 80 families used to live there.

Regarding the schools, the school in Tapa Yoi was constructed with different organizations participating and allocating a lot of money in the project. The problem there, is that each of these organizations are claiming the project as being their own sometimes without mentioning the other participating groups.

Most importantly, with regards to orphaned children living with other relatives, the need is still in extremely high demand. The need we refer to is both monetary and in terms of support. Thailand has a mandatory schooling law however once that is completed, the families have to provide financial support for any additional schooling in order to complete the equivalent of middle and high school.

We have been in touch with an American group residing in the Phang Na province, helping and following some of these children in the families they are staying with (grand-parents, uncles, aunts, etc.). They visit the children every 3 or 4 months and evaluate their specific needs at that time. They pay the schools directly for each of their education and sometimes buy needed books for their classes, need be. They do not provide them with food. They pay the schools directly as well as buy the course materials to keep control of the fund allocation to avoid giving large amounts of money to the families which may use the money for other reasons. This is important as most of these families don't have the organizational skills to manage money nor do most of them have bank accounts.

During the month of March members of the KPT Tsunami fund will be onsite and shall be able to decide Koh PhraThong where the money of our fund will be dedicated to and how it will be spent.
We will be happy to let you know all the details as soon as we get an update.

Overall situation as of today, Feb 09 2006:
Since the 26th December 2004, after the sea surge, the Kuraburi district authority has set up four relief stations with the headquarters at Wat Pah San to provide shelter for affected villagers including about 500 people.

Initial support from the Thai government :
1. Each family of the dead received between 20-30000 Baht (44Baht=1US$) from the government per body for funeral services.
2. Department of Fishery and District Agriculture Office started to receive complaints about the damage done to their boats, houses and floating baskets for raising fish.
3. Each family of the dead received from private charities 20,000 baht/body for funeral services.
Immediate needs of the villagers
The need for permanent residence
Acquisition of fishing gear and boats
Funding for reviving their occupation
Orphaned children
How do the villagers feel?
Most of the villagers of Pak Jok do not want to return to their original places. Some of them have indicated that they want to be resettled in Ban Ta Pae Yoy, and they have made the request already to the village headman of Ban Ta Pae Yoy. Some villagers, who own land on the mainland province, want to move and settle there, whereas the rest are not decided as to where to go.

Most of the villagers of Baan Thungdap want to settle on the island as they used to, but want to move their houses away from the old location. They are still waiting until the well water is usable before they move back. Due to the waves, brine water has been flushed ashore and mixed with well water to the point it is not drinkable.

Major obstacles
.There is still no good system to send donated monies in place.
. Several governmental units work redundantly; many of them offer to receive complaints at the same time causing confusion among the villagers.
- As a dead body cannot be located, the death certificate cannot be issued, and the surviving family members are not eligible for support.
. Many of the villagers want to return to their home place, but are not able to do so without an official title deed.
.the loss of income as a result of the tsunami has made the education of the children an even greater challenge. In many families, income has been reduced by half, and some are still without any form of sufficient income.

As of the 12th of January 2006, the moonson rains washed away the salt deposit left by the tides. The vegetation looks very green and it is more pleasant to the eye. The Hornbill birds are there, we still don't know where the monkeys are. Only very few are around, and we have to wait and see how many turtle nests will be discovered this year. Our friends from Naucrates have been back on Kho Phrathong since Jan 18th and we will ask them a report on the actual situation.

Thank you one more time for your continued support. Please keep checking the site for updates.
- The Koh Phra Thong Tsunami fund.

Here is the latest email from Monica of Naucrates on the island:

Dear members(please, circulate the message,because we do not have all addressess),
As you know Naucrates team is back working toward the conservation of Nature at Phra Thong Island.
I am sorry if I (Monica) am not at GBB and therefore I do not meet all of you when you come to stay for few days during the season. In particular, I was very upset not to meet you Barbara, last week, but as you have probably heard I still have problems in sleeping at GBB close to the sea and walking on the beach.

Our team at GBB, as found on olive ridley nest so far, with 133 eggs laid near Pak Choke village. The eggs were safely moved and buried near Ban Chang waiting to hatch around the end of February 2006. The nest was named Lisa.

The team is cleaning the beach and the mangrove collecting thousands of flip flop, plastics, Styrofoam, polystyrene, etc.....the main problem is still what do we do with the rubbish!!! we are thinking and applying eco-friendly solution...for example we will bring the polystyrene to some fishermen in the village so they can re use it for their new squid cages....instead of buying new ones!!!

The team goes every day on the hornbill hill where they dedicate an hour to observe what it swims in the water...very often turtles are recorded and filmed! in order to facilitate the way to get on the hill, the volunteers have fixed the path to go up there.

Naucrates has another team working actively at Tapayoi village. We are teaching conservation and English every day in the school, and once a week we teach at Thung Dap school (other village in the South).
Projects like recycling, make compost, make a vegetable garden, an art competition, how to make a library catalogue will be carried out during the season.

Naucrates is investing part of the money we have raised to conduct the work and unfortunately most of the expenses are to cover food and accommodation at GBB and at Tapaioi village and for transport.
I will sort out payments for rooms and food at GBB at the end of each month with Lory, hoping you might give us some discount!!

Thank you for your support,
Regards, Ciao,
Monica, Claudio and Naucrates team

Have a good day. Thank you.

Marco Iannelli / Fabio Iannelli