World Sees Off 2004 With Vigils, Aid for Asian Victims

The good sign, if any in all this, is, however, the massive show of solidarity among world peoples and governments that saw the biggest relief campaign in history taking off instantly, massive contributions by individuals and the cancellation of annual extravagant New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Many world countries decided to cancel New Year celebrations, rather scrambling to help millions of victims uprooted by the killer tidal waves.

In Thailand, grieving friends, family and survivors of the Asian tsunami disaster gathered on New Year’s Eve, pausing for a few hours to reflect on the tragic end to a sometimes brutal year, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

With more than 125,000 dead, hundreds of thousands injured and millions made homeless by the devastating earthquake and tsunami wave, the passage of 2004 was to be marked by candle-lit vigils and calls for prayer.

The somber mood of mourning forced people to look back to the events of the past few days, not forward to 2005.

In the holiday resorts — that in a few seconds of Sunday morning became churning killing grounds — authorities urged people to tone down any planned celebrations, hotel owners in Sri Lanka and in Thailand told AFP.

“We are having a gathering of the staff and all our guests are invited to light candles with them at midnight for the people who have died,” said Thanarat Jadpatananon, who owns the Sawasdee hotel on Patong beach, Phuket, a Thai place where hundreds died.

“We are giving everyone free food and drinks but there will no alcohol. This is definitely not a party or time to celebrate,” she said. Fireworks displays normally held across the island had all been cancelled.

“Thai government office announced that there shouldn’t be any party or festival,” according to a front office assistant at the Phuket Merlin Hotel.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also asked government agencies not to hold New Year celebrations and traditional countdowns in Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Mai were cancelled, replaced by Buddhist merit-making ceremonies for the dead on New Year morning.

In the once-idyllic resort island of Phi Phi, where hundreds died, a candlelight vigil and Buddhist ceremony will be held.

In Sri Lanka, a country where more than 28,000 have died and thousands more are still missing, deluxe hotels scrapped champagne dinners and canned plans for other events to mark the New Year as the government announced an official day of mourning.

The five-star Taj Samudra said it had cancelled its Roman-themed New Year’s Eve bash and called off all other celebrations in the hotel overlooking the Indian Ocean , general manager Praveen Nair said.

“There will be no music in the hotel,” Nair said.

Local radio and television networks played somber music Friday while lottery companies announced suspending sales till next year.