Ajude-os a voltar a sorrir... Help them smile again

smiles at a primary school - Koh Phra Thong, Thailand - Feb.2003

Estou triste, porque ha muitos sorrisos que deixaram de o ser, assim de repente sem aviso.
Estou triste porque me iludi que esses olhos que me sorriam iriam brilhar para sempre.

No ano passado estive numa pequena ilha no oceano indico, junto ‘a costa occidental da Thailandia - Koh Phratong - um pequeno paraiso ainda pouco frequentado por turistas. As razoes que atraiam as pessoas a esta ilha eram essencialmente o movimento de conservacao e preservacao do meio ambiente ligados ‘a sobrevivencia de tartarugas e um retiro de yoga. Havia ainda na ilha 3 aldeias povadas por pessoas maravilhosas e criancas sorridentes.
A paz e harmonia cohabitava com a beleza natural e fazia deste lugar, uma terapia para a alma.

No dia 26 de Dezembro, tudo isto foi varrido da sua existencia, de uma forma tao subita como triste e devastadora.

Relatos do que aconteceu nesta ilha (nao mencionada pelos media, pois nao fazia parte dos principais destinos turisticos):
“There are three villages on Koh Phratong: Tapa Yoi, Bak Jok, and Tung Dap. Of these, Bak Jok and Tung Dap have been completely destroyed. Other severely affected villages in the area include Baan Talae Nok and Hat Praphat.”Bodhi from Golden Buddha Beach

“We went to the fishing village near the mangroves and it's unbelievable. There is nothing left at all. It's not like there's some foundations or rubble because the houses were all wooden. A government worker went to asse the situation and said that there was no disaster because he couldn't see any sign that humans had lived there. All the kids were killed and every adult except for two who climbed trees. The bodies of the rest have been found. The only sign that humans have been there for any length of tine is a kid's swing left swaying poignantly in the wind; unfortunately there's no-one left to swing on it now. When you think of all the kids shouting "Hello!!" at you it really brings tears to your eyes.”e-mail by Paul Saunders

Ler mais aqui.
Read more here.

Se puder e quiser contribuir com ajuda monetaria para ajudar directamente as aldeias da ilha Koh Phra Thong, click aqui.

Please donate here to help Bak Jok and other villages recover from the Tsunami damage.