Has thailand been rebuilt after boxing day tsunami?
Not only rebuilt over rebuilt. First off the tsunami did not effect all of Thailand. Only that part on the west coast andaman sea area. I was in Phuket and Koh Phi PHi prior to the tsunami, and returned two years ago. I could not believe how build up the area was from the first time I was there. I have also been to areas between Khao Lak and Ranong and visited the Kamphuan Memorial Tsunami Education Museum in Ranong with a class of students which showed the before and after from the Tsunami. If you are interested and in Thailand you should visit this place.
Do tsunamis have any positive effects?
Any natural disaster has effects on both sides of the spectrum. For Hilo, Hawaii, it led to better urban design. Hilo experienced two severe tsunamis within a generation (1946 and 1960). The community implemented a plan in the 1970s that created a coastal buffer with trees (to break up the wave action), an open park area (to store water and provide distance from the developed areas), and building design to resist damage from wave action.(source: Case Studies:prevention)Another effect of tsunami that impacts redevelopment is when illegal and/or unsafe buildings are removed by the storm, leaving room for reconstruction under better standards.
Which countries always send aid when other countries are facing a natural disaster? What kind of help do they provide?
Well, I can tell you my country has a pretty good track record on this.In fact, just a few hours ago...IDF aid planes land in Nepal, rescue teams to begin searches, set up field hospitaland here, from ABS-CBN News ChannelThis has been going on since the mid' 80's.After gaining extensive experience in quickly deploying on scenes with a large number of injured, Israel began, as something I can only describe as a reflex, to send out the IDF Search and rescue teams to assist in disaster scenes all over the globe, including: Mexico '85; Kenya '98;Turkey '99; Indonesia 2004 (This was diplomatically complex as it took time to get Indonesia to agree to accept aid from Israel, which I'm glad to say they did eventually); Sri Lanka 2005;Kenya again in 2006;Haiti in 2010 (Followed by ridiculous and outrageous lies - spread in both U.N and some media channels, that Israel did this in order to "Steal human organs"... While Israeli rescuers and doctors were still on the ground saving Haitians - No good deed goes unpunished I guess)Philippines 2013;To name a few.Aid comes in the form of teams of dozens to hundreds of IDF search and Rescue specialists, and medical teams, setting up field hospitals, assisting in complex rescue challenges, performing life saving surgeries in the field and providing first aid on large scales, along other efforts. It's what my country does when disasters strike, and is an addition to almost 7 decades through which Israel provided medical aid to over 140 states, on a variety of matters, such as life-saving surgeries, vaccinations and sight restoration surgeries to name a few.If interested, this is a very heart warming blog on the matter, by the IDF Home Front Command.It would be interesting to learn of additional countries contributing to these efforts.I know the U.S, U.K, Australia, New Zealand and India, have been actively involved on a global scale as well, and have been advised by contributing commentators (See below) that Cuba and several Scandinavian nations are worthy of praise on such activity too.
What is it like to be retired in Bangkok?
Actually it's been a wonderful experience, and I can honestly say that these past 7 years, since I chose to [de facto] retire at 50 in 2011, have been some of the best years of my life.I arrived in Thailand in 2005, after the Boxing Day (December 26th) Tsunami of 2004, to work as a Crisis Corps volunteer (part of Peace Corps) assigned to Habitat for Humanity for Tsunami response rebuilding houses. I was the project planner.Thailand truly felt like ‘home’ from the moment I arrived. I moved to Bangkok from Khao Lak in January 2006, and continued disaster response until 2011. I had just turned 50. The job wasn't what it once was. Time to leave, actually long overdue.You can retire at 50 in Thailand. That is you can get a retirement visa, extendable annually, indefinitely.The cost of living is low. I moved from an apartment I had for 25,000 baht per month to what I have now which is just 5,000, after a years time. It's not the savings, it's more the location, the feel, the building, its exactly what I want now at this point in life.Food is cheap and delicious. I do cook, but equally I eat outside a lot.I workout at the gym, Virgin Active, which has a swimming pool. I have a trainer 3 days a week.Thai people are friendly.I travel where I want, whenever I want, in Thailand, Asia and elsewhere in the world.I could not have retired at 50 in America, and I certainly wouldn't want to live there now.Life is good. Thailand has been good for me.Certainly there have been ups and downs.As an American, we have no national health insurance anyway. In Thailand, I exercise, I bicycle around town everyday, I eat well, thus I stay healthy, and beyond that, self-insure. The highest quality medical care by international standards is available here for cash at fraction of the cost it would be in the US, through some insurer that will deny the claim.Thailand probably isn't for everyone, but for me, it's home, its a place I will always return to.Whenever I am going out of the country, I begin to miss Bangkok even before I leave. And for all these years now, since 2005, I have repeatedly and continue to say as I board the aircraft, “the greatest feeling in the world [for me still], is coming home to Thailand“.
What is it like to live in Aceh, Indonesia?
Newcomer here in Aceh (specifically Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh) for about two years, migrating from other part of Indonesia for working purpose. Having been wandering to several locations in Aceh, i.e. the capital itself, Aceh Besar, all the way to east coast of Aceh.Initially, I am afraid of rejection from the locals the very first time I settle here. However, it turns out that the people were very warm, accepting and accomodating. Of course, it comes with learning of local customs and limits set by sharia/islamic laws prevalent in Aceh. Just try blending and living by the ways of Acehnese. They don’t require much things from newcomers or foreigners, just respecting the customs, i.e. dress modestly or appropriately, respect the prayer time, don’t mingle too much with the opposite gender inappropriately (public mixing still acceptable). Somehow, the locals are much more lenient to the foreign tourist than to migrants from other provinces, maybe because they expect the migrants to quickly adapt.The region itself is amazingly nearly void of crime activities noticeable by commoners, other than drug smuggling and election time violence. In the capital, we got very low case of murder, rare theft crime, a very nice traffic, pedestrian-friendly walkway, bike-friendly fellow motorists, and several joyful surprises compared from what happen in neighboring provinces and what the foreign newspapers portrayed.The housing is affordable, the food is good, the water is fresh and clean although the public utilities (water and electricity) sometimes don’t work seamlessly, but the service quality trend is getting better.The nature and scenery are beautiful even though coastal areas typically quite hot , and everything is not as commercialized as elsewhere in Indonesia. Aceh has some nice secluded beach spot and mountain trek, and the highland has very enjoyable climate.