Phuket right after the Tsunami Photo Gallery by hellmut issels at pbase.com

Phuket right after the Tsunami

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Guest		27-Jan-2005 05:21
Hi Hellmur, If you want to stop this spammer see the administrator at PBase and have the IP blocked. Thats what I do and I also inform the police as well. I am in the process of having 2 individuals charged over flooding my site; One from New Zealand and the other from Copenhagen!

Guest		26-Jan-2005 18:37
Hello Hellmut, thanks for sharing these photographs. Im glad your comment section is open again after these casino spammers hit the site earlier this week. I have a massive photo site relating to the Tsunami with over 10,000 photographs, news, and Aid Organisation information. http://www.photoduck.com/pollyfodder. Again thank you Hellmut and I am glad you are ok! POLLYFODDER

Guest		16-Jan-2005 03:55
Get real REALIST the photos are spectacular and people will and have the right to comment as they do in my archive!http://www.photoduck.com/photos.aspx?gid=932&pxo=0 What do you expect people to see this and say nothing? It is something called "HUMAN NATURE"! Im glad Hellmut is ok and it took GUTS to do what he did...THANK YOU HELLMUT!

The Realist		15-Jan-2005 13:01
It is clear that many who posted on this forum have never been familiarised with Pbase before. This is not an opinions forum. Do that somewhwere else. This is an art site, and is meant to be affective, in hopes of encouraging ppl to donate. Understandably, many will be shocked at the huge flood of comments.

Abby		13-Jan-2005 16:19
Who had the guts to take this pictures? They lok cool

Guest		13-Jan-2005 04:47
Hellmut I love the photos! There is another gallery with many thousands of tsunami photographs here too!http://www.photoduck.com/photos.aspx?gid=932&pxo=0 CHECK IT OUT!

Rakibear, England		12-Jan-2005 21:23
Words cannot describe how I feel about these photos. I have 4 beautiful little boys and a gorgeous husband and to imagine life without even one of them breaks my heart. But to lose every single one of them is unimaginable... it just hurts too much even thinking about it. Or to imagine that only one of my sons were to survive... no mummy or daddy or brothers!! Yet watching the recent pictures on the news, in spite of the appalling tragedy that has happened I think one of the biggest miracles I have seen is that the children and the adults can still learn to smile. They have been stripped of absolutely everything, homes, family, not even a photo album as a reminder of what they once had. Yet the children can still find fun in a game of 'tig' or football. I have been appalled at some of the comments on this site, whether from atheists or christians, it sickens me to the pit of my stomach to think of what agony people are going through and the biggest argument on here are the bigoted views on whether or not God did it. And as for the comments from the guy about this whole thing ruining your honeymoon... if I were you I would just hole yourself up in a pit and stay there!! I hope that if your fiance ever read what you put she would call the whole wedding off in a second because I cannot ever beleive that people can be so sick and self-centred as what you are. I pity you so much because you a such a small, tiny-minded little man and I hope I never meet anyone like you!! Is that all you have to worry about?? If I have realised anything from this it is that life is so, so precious. I have got a beautiful family and if I lost my job, my house, my car tomorrow I have still got everything in the world if I still have them!! Live is given and can be over in a second, as fragile as the first snowdrop so live your life completely in abundance. Love every minute, laugh with your kids, dance in the rain, do whatever it is that's mad, that's crazy, that's worth living for and don't regret anything!! Thank you so much for these photos... you don't get the same imact from the fast moving cameras sometimes.

Guest		10-Jan-2005 13:00
Hellmut please dont erase the messages relating to pollyfodders page on photoduck. He has a massive tsunami archive and has albums in their of people looking for love ones missing in Thailand etc and he is helping them and hosting their albums FREE OF CHARGE. He is not associated with photoduck in any way, he is just a subscriber doing his darndest to help. His site ishttp://www.photoduck.com/photos.aspx?gid=932&pxo=0

Guest		10-Jan-2005 08:37
Hellmut I love the photos! There is another gallery with many thousands of tsunami photographs here too!http://www.photoduck.com/photos.aspx?gid=932&pxo=0 CHECK IT OUT!

Guest		10-Jan-2005 01:41
Once again I must say, incredible pictures. When are you going to post more ?

Dez		09-Jan-2005 16:06
ok heres the thing people i relize that every one has there own opinion and that beliefs are a major contribution to these opinions but COME ON this is a time in history for people to come together and help those in need. Now i am not religous and i'm not about to be because of a NATURAL disaster but i do think that this is a time in which people should have a little more respect and sensitivity i am damb sure it wasn't any one race any one religon that was hit it was hundreds of innocent, loved, evil, hated, mothered, addopted, lonley, happy, hardworking, people of every creed and color just get over your western thinking and have a little brains relize that the worlds loved ones are gone and learn to treat others the way you wish to be treated if it were you that was stuck under tons of rubble if it were you holding on to the hand of your deceaced mother,sister,brother or father would you really make these sad and pityful remarks. as i say Good-bye to those lost i say Wake up to those that are here. Dez

Illinois Gal		09-Jan-2005 00:58
From: katwood Date: 31-Dec-2004 08:50 yeah, many will come and diceive you using my name": Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, and they'll sound real Christian, and they'll hypnotize you and send your sons and brothers and daughters to die. THe end times are when ya'll kill your television and stop watching fox news, jerry springer, and realize GOD aint comin', GOD has always been right here! AMEN, Katwood! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!!!!! All you have to do is look within, people! Look within! Look into your own hearts and feel compassion for your family around the world! This place...this planet is a place for us to learn and grow. C'mon! Stop judging everyone and just be kind. Humans are no more or less important and loved by our creator who is always, always with us. Maaaan has "religion" and "rhetoric" screwed us up! If you don't believe in prayer, that's fine. But I wonder if we could all just look at these photos and close our eyes and try to stand in the shoes of these people we see. These mothers we see holding their lifeless children. Please? Please can't we just stretch enough to have some empathy?

Grieving in Michigan		08-Jan-2005 22:52
I’ve been all over the net these last few days, viewing, crying …praying. Images like these are seared in my brain and I can’t get them out, how does one just give money and go on with life. Something compels me back over and over again. Thank you so much for these pictures that helped to keep me sensitive to the incredible suffering that is happening in that region. I appreciate all the posts even if I may disagree, these kinds of happenings seem to cause all of us to dig deep for meaning and understanding. And everyone is entitled to their own beliefs in making sense of it all. So here’s mine: I don’t believe God caused this, but I do believe that he allowed it. And I believe as time goes on our decision as a planet to live independent of Him and His laws of nature and relationships will find us close to self destruction just before He comes. He would have loved to keep the Garden of Eden free from suffering but as a God of free will, He honors choice. And every choice in life to live independent of the Lifegiver carries with it a consequence. I believe He hurts for the child that gets killed by a drunk driver, but it was the driver’s choice to drink and drive. He could have prevented him/her from drinking, He’s God He can do anything, but He chose to create us with choice not a bunch of robots programmed to obey. Unfortunately in a world where so many choose to live independent of Him the innocent suffer too. Bottom line, He says in His word “my Spirit will not always strive with men”. He can plead and plead and warn and warn us not to violate the laws of good health but if we continue “I know God but I want…..this feels, tastes, looks better”, then He has no recourse but to honor our choice and the natural scientific cause and effect relationship of that choice will follow. And I can guarantee you that I will not be the only one who suffers from my choices. I’m thankful that the Bible speaks of the first death as a sleep, it’s the second death that’s eternal and based on our choice. Many of those who perished in this tragedy will someday live in a paradise again. God will honor their choice.

Deen		08-Jan-2005 10:16
I cant believe some people are connecting this with religion!!! "God punished muslim countries" what a bunch of bs, havent you heard of earthquake? and irony is: Yes muslim countries were hit, that is true but many, many people from western countries have lost their lifes, so how about that? they were not muslim or i am from mars? Come on live that religion crap, this is an natural disaster, it have nothing to do with God of any kind. It would be much better if those "christians" would shut their mouth and actualy help to PEOPLE, becausse this is about people and not about muslims, christians, budhists, or hare krishna be human help to the humans there. There are over 2000 people missing from Sweden, help those people who have lost family. In the end i would like to apologize if i made spelling mistakes, i am not english, i live in Holland and many dutch are dead, many families have lost son,daughter,father, mother, do you think they think God punished them for going on vacation? what a bs Thank you

Andres		07-Jan-2005 17:13
Hellmut I hope you are doing well. How fortunate we are of being alive. My prayers are for all those who perished and for those whose lives have been tragically changed forever. Thanks for sharing your photos. Andres

Ed		07-Jan-2005 10:19
These are overwhelming images as this catastrophe continues to boggle our human minds. But I've gotta say that fortunately, the majority of comments here seem to be very thoughtful and heartfelt. As for the other negative folks: We will do our best to help you in your silly attitudes the best we can - and here's a tip...be careful because when you leave this life, you may find that God will completely ignore you - forever.

BrownPoop		07-Jan-2005 06:57
comment to Travis below : "Bible Thumping" you need to sit on that large bible of yours SIDEWAYS.

Michelle		06-Jan-2005 22:16
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as well as the many people effected by this tsunami. As for some of the people who have posted messages here I say These pictures are amazing and moving, as a mother of two young children I feel for all the people affected by this act of NATURE ! not god. I am catholic and find it amazing that people can say this is an act of god, take your head out of the sand and look at the pictures as see what is there to be seen, better still help by what ever means you can and pray that families will be reunited with their lost so that they can bury them and start to rebuild their lives. Think of the children who are now on their own, at the end of the day they are our future but they have nothing now how would you feel ? The children seem to be the one who have lost the most think on that and stop wittering on about act of god, rubbish get a life and donate instead. God bless & protect

kirsty		06-Jan-2005 13:11
these pictures are absolutely terrifying. i can't begin to imagine how you must have felt Hellmut. These events have been terrible, in fact there is no word to describe the actual destruction caused by such a thing. However, i can't help feeling slightly annoyed when people start mentioning it was God who did it, to punish us. That is utterly ridiculous! i am and Atheist by all accounts, but for all you religious people out there, how can you believe your god would cause so much grief and suffering because of man? It's madness to think this is anything more then a natural disaster, but if you are that way inclined, don't make the people who were most involved, most hurt by this disaster believe that it happened BECAUSE of them or us. It isn't exactly Moral boosting, is it?

Mary Tjalkens		06-Jan-2005 01:56
Hellmut, I saw your pictures....how are you now? Were you there with relatives? Is everybody safe? I hope that you will recover from all that you have experienced. Warm hug from me, Mary

Travis		05-Jan-2005 23:09
I find it extremely pitiful that there are people so arrogant and clueless to the real issue that they are sparring over God and wether or not the U.S. thinks it's the center of the universe. The fact is, this is a catastrophic event beyond most of our comprehension. I'm a Christian and an American. As a Christian I'm appalled that there are arguments from both sides blaming God or Bible thumping. As an American, I'm appalled that somebody found a way to weasel in an unrelated comment about the U.S. thinking it's the center of the universe. LET'S FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUE...THIS IS TRAGIC AND HORRIFIC, THERE ARE 150,000 PEOPLE DEAD OR MISSING. MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, BROTHERS, SISTERS, FRIENDS, CHRISTIANS, NON CHRISTIANS, NATIVES AND FOREIGNERS. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. Sadly, I see many postings here from people that are part of the problem. GET OVER YOURSELVES AND YOUR ETHNOCENTRICITY AND FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUE! There will no doubt be somebody that will come back and reply with an "it's my right to say this and that" or "I don't care what some guy on the internet thinks about me" etc. and you know what...feel free to do so, it just solidifies your place as part of the problem. I find it sad that there are 150,000 people dead or missing because of this catastrophe, and there are people trading juvenile insults to eachother over the internet. Thanks to Helmut for the pictures posted here. This is devastating to these countries and the people that live in these countries.

Art Frizzel		04-Jan-2005 20:31
As a result of these images I just placed an order for a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to witness such a photo worthy event let alone have the composure to take such good images.

Hasan Aliyev		04-Jan-2005 18:03
from paradise to hell! I think all over the world must help to these peoples. Hasan Aliyev http://www.azeri.net

Sam		04-Jan-2005 16:59
Hullo. I'm from Singapore and had returned from Phuket just 3 weeks b4 the tsunami struck. The local news introduced this website and I knew from there that this was taken from Sheraton? Would like to inquire about the fates of some wodnerful Thai people I known doing service by the beach. There were a handful of women doing massages and briading of hair, a man who ran a shop with 3 other women selling beach stuff like swimsuits, henna, slippers, sun tan lotions, floats, and the man also acts as a travel agent for travels to PhiPhi and other islands. Thanks alot is there's any news on them.

ugaitz13		03-Jan-2005 17:41
DESTRUCTION,Total Destruction,I am 13 years old boy,from Spain,and really i can see thailand,only i see DESTRCUTION!!!

Mother of Two		03-Jan-2005 15:05
First of all thank you Hellmut for posting these incredible pictures, the images that you have provided I will remember forever. You have some healing to do and I wish you health and happiness. I have read through all the postings from the beginning, it is apparent that most of the people posting would rather be right than open minded. It seems this forum is being used to preach, to berate, and to argue, is that really the purpose here? When I look at the images and coverage of this disaster I see Human Beings suffering which breaks my heart. If everyone reading this right now would put their hand over their heart they would feel the force that brings us all together as one people, we are all the same one race The Human Race. If we could forget just for a second that we want to be right....reach out your hand to someone in need because in the end we are all the same. Donate money to the organizations in your country that you know will help the people most affected by this disaster. Open your hearts, repect the earth and all that is on it, love each other even if you don't agree, we are so fortunate that we have forums like this that make the world seem so much smaller why not use it to learn from each other about our cultures, lives and even religion. I embrace the opportunities I have been given to learn about other cultures and people. So, my message is this ... we are all brothers and sisters of the Human Race and when one of us is suffering we are all suffering. Donate money, hug your kids, tell your families you love them, if you see someone without a smile, give them yours.....

Gerhard		03-Jan-2005 11:43
I Cannot agree more. Very tragic indeed. We are (to Christians out there) living in the Revelations. Judging by catastrophic events in the 20th Century (invention of A and H bomb, 9/11, Greenhouse/Climatic effects; severe flooding and sever droughts worldwide.... My personal feeling is that nature/(God) has a way of balancing things out.... controversial opinion, maybe, any comments? G

carparly		03-Jan-2005 10:07
I think that many of you that have commented on this gallery need to take a step back and look at the big picture. Natural Disasters have happened for millions of years, (look at the dinosaurs). Yes they are incredibly horrific and tragic, but this is the world that we live in. Nothing anyone does will change this. We can only hope that we are fortunate enough not to be caught in something like this and that we can develope warning systems to prevent such lose of life. Should this be an act of god, then there must be some reasoning for this. Look at the Bible and Noah. We should take this oppoortunity to be thankful for how lucky we are and try to help those who are less fortunate than you.

Greg		03-Jan-2005 06:49
Can anyone tell me how the Merlin Beach Resort, at tri trang beach in phuket has faired. We have made friends with staff members and we have been unable to contact them. We are desperate to know. Any photos??? And by the way, if you believe that this disaster was an act of 'god' then you need to pull your head out of the sand. You need to take it up with Mother Nature! Has it occurred that we are doing this to our planet?

Guest		03-Jan-2005 02:55
I believe in God and I believe in perspective and natural disasters and I also believe in mental disease which clearly the majority of religious comments here are a result of. Steve only if you had of studied harder you would understand why these happen, this is basic entry school stuff, but if you want to clearly show your inability comprehend this given situation i can understand why you pass it off as GOD. Earth the centre of the universe <--- proven wrong because of science, im not saying the bible is completely wrong because of science because many scientists believe in the bible what im saying is you would be STUPID to cast off a logical answer between the two, which is clearly what some of you are doing. (some are stupid enough to believe America is centre of the universe) P.S Moses parted the REED sea not the RED Sea which has now been proven in the original transcripts of the bible, new bibles are coming out with the correct version, which goes to show man makes mistakes.. Which is dam obvious because he is the one interpreting what he thinks the bible means Sorry for off topic please read me post 4-5 down which addresses the real issue

Steve		03-Jan-2005 02:01
If some of you people would read and understand the Bible, you would understand why these things happen. The answers are there, figure it out.

There is NO GOD		03-Jan-2005 00:35
FFS please don't preach here about god. If he was love then he has a bloody good way of showing it! This was an act of nature not GOD. God had nothing to do with this. These religious fanatics get on peoples nerves with their rants and raves trying to force their beliefs on others. I suppose it was god that saved the little baby on the mattress, and the little girl who studied tsunami, how did she save so many people, was it because God had a hand in this or did she just run for high ground? So GOD is sitting there saying, "right, i'll send this huge fucking wave and kill over 150,000 people, but I'll make it look as though there has been a miracle by letting a few people get off scott free then everyone will know that there is a GOD"........ BOLLOCKS, get a life!!! People putting their own lives at risk is NOT GOD, it is human nature, when will you learn!

Diana		02-Jan-2005 23:24
Thanks for pictures. Let me tell you when I saw it, I just thought you´re photographer. I´m photographer and I wish I was there to took some pictures. I would sell it and use that money to help victims... I believe GOD and I´m shure HE was there when tsunami appears..can you imagine how terrible it could be if tsunami just came during the night? And how do people justify that little baby with 20 days who is safe now just because he was sleeping in a mattress?.. how do people justify the girl who saved many lifes just because she had study about tsunami in her last lesson of geography? how do people justify this?? this is miracle. This is GOD. GOD is LOVE. it is simply the most beautiful thing in this world, when we saw images of people helping each other, putting their own lifes in risc. this is GOD. GOD is Love.

Macca		02-Jan-2005 22:50
Enough Enough of the silly comments. PLEASE have some respect for those who have died, and the many more who are in serious peril. Macca

Peter James		02-Jan-2005 18:28
I believe in God and I believe, perspective and natural disasters and I also believe in mental disease which clearly the majority of religious comments here are a result of. Have respect for the people who died in this disaster since this is a disaster far greater than S11 & Iraq war combined since unlike the others it wasn’t an infliction of mans stupidity against each other, the world needs to focus on this for a while. This isn’t the result of gods hand punishing the people its the hand of science and tectonic plates (if you feel this is too hard to grasp I suggest redoing year 8 and 9 in a country where education is important) tectonic plates have been around long b4 humans and if humans don’t completely stuff this planet up they will be around long after humans, unfortunately the Indian ocean wasn’t monitored well enough which lead to no warnings. Death is sometimes a reminder of how mortal we actually are, i hate the fact humans only seem to unite in crisis..

Guest		02-Jan-2005 17:45
people .. don't you understand? I hope all the best for all that has to endure this horrific happening. But don't blame God or say that there isn't one. How do you know? Have some respect towards each other.

nightengale		02-Jan-2005 14:47
Dear Helmut- Your pictures truly capture the depthes of this Cataclysmic Disaster. You captured the battered traumatized beaches, but you also captured the Hope in the later photos. I read the other messeges and realized that Everyone is in pain over this, there was such a range of emotions flowing. Anger is a very healthy emotion, but we should not be taking it out on each other. Pain takes many forms, we are all grieving . The Earth is in Agony- but we need to find compassion and take care of each other, it is the only path to healing., and surviving such a castostrophe.And to the groom- I know that it is haunting to get married and honey moon in this wounded zone. Read the myth about the Rising of the Phoenix. From ashes comes new life and new strength, and stronger love. Nam-Miho-Kyo./// Peace for all Beings

MiniMe		02-Jan-2005 12:02
Maurice.... You may have donated to the red cross but it does not cut the mustard with anyone here that you are a plain and simple ASSHOLE of the highest calibre. Fancy lowering yourself to the gutter with comments like those and the only thought in your heart is that of your upcoming wedding... why would anyone whis that on an entire community... I hope she stands you up at the altar you moron!!! Helmut... Thank you for bringing these images into my home, they truly convey the sheer awe of what was happening and make me appreciate what those innocent people went through. I do not personally believe in any god but my heart and money go to those in their time of need.

kat		02-Jan-2005 06:14
How do you tell the survivors that 'god' loves them!!!! Maybe 'god' is telling the world to come together with great compassion and generousity so that there may finally be peace on earth! Wishful thinking???

Howard		01-Jan-2005 19:03
When are you pathetic people going to release that this is not the work of god but just the way this planet works we are sat on a time bomb we are already 40000 years late on a natural occurence which is likely to wipe out mankind as we know. Its about time we put aside our religous differences and worked together. And get ourselves prepared for the huge famine and diseases that are likely to come from a world disaster not just a localised one. IF THERE IS A GOD THEN HE STINKS AS LIFE IS SHIT AND EVERYDAY SHIT IS THROWN AT US. IF THERE IS A GOD THEN THESE DISASTERS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN.

Jack		01-Jan-2005 16:34
Thank you for the photographs. It's through seeing a tragedy like this that we can begin to understand it and try to learn from it. This is a great cataclysm unfolding, first the sudden shock of the earthquake and tsunami, but next the disease and second wave of death. It is merely a cultural accident that the area is principally inhabited by those humans calling them selves Muslims. Humans who call themselves Christians and who actually believe their God would be so shallow as to cause this have lulled themselves into a religious stupor typical of that which has caused repression, stupidity and cultural conflict for hundreds of years. They would be "vomited from the mouth" of their God. This, as every tragedy is, is an opportunity to learn. Apparently, we did not learn in 1883 that this area is prone to seismic upheval, although it is well documented. Since we did not learn adequately, we doomed ourselves to repeat the experience. If 37000 people were killed then, is it any wonder that 500000 may die as a result of the event of Dec. 26? Our true opportunity here is to learn. Will a warning system be developed for this part of the world? Can the warring factions and quibbling governments come to an agreement to develop a system to predict and warn their populations of danger? Can they agree to share the cost in the investment for the future? Time will tell. As to time, and those predicting the end times... The "end" didn't come in 1883, or the 1940's, or whatever cataclysm you choose. And this is not the beginning of the end time either, because your "end" time is someone else's "beginning" time and both you and they have equal claim to your shared but differing righteousnesses. These childish religious notions cloud our ability to think clearly and critically. So, lets revew: Many have tragically and needlessly perished in the wave, but some would have died regardless as cataclysm's do have victims who cannot be saved. Many more will soon perish form disease. This is a huge tragedy, and it continues to unfold. The area is beautiful and will heal itself, but the forces that caused the wave will build and repeat. Indeed these forces are responsible for the landmasses and the geographic beauty of the area. Humans will continue to invest in and inhabit this area of incredible beauty. May our Gods help us? Probably not. They never have in the past. Will we help each other? It's our only hope. Jack

junnie		01-Jan-2005 14:35
Finally, we had seen how mother nature had unleash her fury on us. It's sad to know that the death tolls are rising every day, but we should feel comforted that there are some selfless people out there who are willing to do anything to help the victims. And to Maurice, I think you're selfish, in another way. Yes, you had donated $700 to the Red Cross, but, do you think you have the right to leave such a foolish comment? Do you think it is funny to see a beautiful place to be wiped clean?

Ehem		01-Jan-2005 14:29
This shows us that disaster doesn't choose a time a day or a place. Many people died and lost their loves ones, its time for us to help each other out and give what we can. Let us not blame GOD for this..

Trevor Benedict		01-Jan-2005 13:29
After an after thought, I realized that I should not have added to the comments in this Forum. If JC had given an email address then I would have replied to him alone. Those families that have lost loved ones haven't even buried their dead. Watching young children swept away breaks my heart. Maybe it is time for people to forget the difference and to help in all ways possible not only now but every day as long as possible. I feel that the best way to respect those already suffering is to lay aside differences and refrain from making comments that are difficult to digest. Please excuse me for my comment. - Trevor

Trevor Benedict		01-Jan-2005 12:19
Thanks for the Photos. It has been a very sad week for all of us here in Asia. JC, Though I understand what you are saying, I do not agree with everything that you say. Some of the problems that you had pointed out lies within your society. As a person if you are strong enough you should stand against this instead of bashing out on everyone else. Any person who is Christ like is a Christian. Even if someone calls themselves thus, it is still upto GOD to accept him during his return. The governement that is supposed to safeguard the people from these immoral activites are turning a blind eye just because they need the foreign exchange and I suppose that you will whole heartedly vote for them year after year and your comments on Americans or others are not acceptable because every standard that you follow, every tool that you use, those fashionabe clothes, think of all those things that you use in your day to day life, they have been contributed by people in western countries. I am very thankful for that. After the war in Iraq, I wanted to share this with someone. There is nothing much that we have given back to the world. I am not talking about giving back to your people, but to the World. Very little has been done. If you are strong enough, then you should put all your energy to make a difference. Please do not throw harsh words at anyone without thinking, cos once you have spoken those words remain. You can never take them back. Maybe it is time for you to read the book of Titus so that you can have better understanding on whom to look at for examples and whom not to look at for examples. Please don't be offended with me. I just wanted to share what I felt. No matter what you say, we will continue to Pray for those who have survived. Regards, Trevor Benedict India

Brandon		01-Jan-2005 03:55
Thank you for the photos. I also want to apologize for the guy who posted before me. I am a conservative, Bible-believing Christian and those horrible comments are highly inappropriate at this or anytime. People are hurting. You are causing more hurt. That is not Christian or Christlike in any way.

mancusj		31-Dec-2004 23:23
thank you for these pictures; they really put the extent of the devastation into perspective. as for the post before mine (JC's), what a load of moronic bullshit. it's whacked out fundies like you that give normal christians a bad reputation.

JC		31-Dec-2004 18:33
Lets be clear. For years Oil companies and others talk about GROWTH. Well we have seen the impact on the earth. Pollution, waste, planned obsolescene and greed. Well God is now kicking back and showing that humans are polluting his patch and he doesn't need them. The locals - i live right in the crisis zone in Asia and have donated already (so bug off those righteous ones still driving SUVs and running aircon in Texas). The Locals were worst affected but lets put this in perspective. Over 15mln have died of Aids in Asia already. Where did this come from? How about US and European men coming to Asia for a cheap shag? Plying their poison dollars and pounds and other filth money to buy everything to satisfy what is clearly illegal in their home towns. They stink. Yet they have poured into Asia without a care in the world. Asia was a lovely idillic place. But war, greed, pollution and Bush's famous growth and US way all measure the suck of their thoughts words and deeds. God has kicked back. Yes it has killed many locals. But it will simply kill off the tourist industry, the drugs, the young girls sold by poor asia farmers into organised crime to keep Mr NYork or Mr Munich happy while he shags her. God is watching and has watched all of you. You think you can stink out the place with booze, night clubs and sleaze dress codes. Topless and drugs/ moon druming. Well God ain't wanting you anymore. Can all go back and destroy you own women, your neighbours daughters and filth you bring. God wants Asia to be cleaned up and left as it was. Why did Indonesian get hammered? Only few can tell. But Thailand and their govt/crime/police brothels/hotels and booze drugs scene have been punished. No one learned from SARs so Bird flu came back. Finally God has spoken. Enough. us and european men go back and suffer. look at the many wifes lost... God takes the treasured. God hammers those - their intentions were not pure. Read the bible stupid. It seems 'holy' europe and usa are false gods preaching sleaze, porn , and the rest. It will be on your own heads why you suffer. The bible says your children will suffer for 4 generations. I live in a country that saw kids ripped from their fathers hands, wifes gone, homes gone, futures gone. It is not the 120,000 dead. The end result is over 12million dead if you run the maths for 4 generations. Yet no one is calculating like that in business - only add up how fast to rip off everyone to get the million. Yet no one is calcualting like that why screwing the young thai or other girls. I pity you families, your children. God has spoken = over 3000 years ago during Moses time but few listened. God has spoken over 2000 years ago during Jesus time but few listened. God will continue to speak, to punish to cripple to destroy until the right people turn and become what he clearly wants. It aint' hard you idiots. The ten commandments are there. Yet i suppose it's so easy to dismiss God, the bible, and all the history of suffering and punishment. To pick up a beer, grab a young girl and destroy her life, her future, her chance at godliness. May you all suffer in hell. FOr the true believers in you, whether Christ/muslim/buddhist/hindu/ or other - you know Gods laws and he punishes harshly. But his rewards are sweet. As long as we individually make God driven steps then that is the key. Ignore the idiots, the drunks, the druggies, the MTV generation/the sluts. They will get their just deserts. The non believers will say we don't care about the suffering - but we do, but were wise to Gods path to Gods will to knowing God will deliver yet punish the foolish. Many people fail to read that Jesus too punished severely. Even his own he hammered in public. ie Peter as an example when he denied on Jesus's trial night. God has knife edge rules. Obey or die. Obey or suffer. Clearly this world of us and european waste (they don't deserve capital letters) refuses to learn. refuses to read their bible history. So be it. God has spoken. Jesus has spoken. Time is running out. Make your decision. or go watch your sleaze MTV, Britney slut, drink your us / german beers and get sloshed. sing your stupid songs of booze. rape the weak, harm the weak, trash Gods rivers. He is watching each of you. His books are judged already. Be your own judge - here and now - i dare you - to see just how 'perfect' you are. Then go read Exodus or John in the Bible and see how polluted you all are, how patheic you all are. Only the strong will survive. Most of you are gone, of no use to God. Old age and turning to God is a waste. He will only say ---- where were you when I needed you when you were 18 or 20 or 30. Drunk? Sitting pissed on a Thai beach? Shagging around. Hardly going to church. No german, no dutch, no uk, no us,no other churches in phuket So God has spoken. His power is witnessed. Finally - witness this - the temple, churches in sri lanka and mosques in Indonesia were all left barely untouched. Mosque in Banda Aceh suffered a Mag9 hit. seek god

Guest		31-Dec-2004 18:22
Hmmm....I just looked up largest natural disaster...those hurricanes we had were supposedly the largest natural disasters recorded in history but somehow I think this tops them. As for the 144,000 I didn't realize they were muslims. I'm unclear as to how to interpret THE WORD in that aspect but it would just appear to me that a God that I understand isn't going to just appear and say "here I am" without some grandiose entrance into this world without first giving those non-believers a chance to ask Jesus Christ to come into their hearts which I pray now that all of you now do as I too agree with earlier comments that this IS the beginning of the end times The Bible talks about...science has some of you folks misled. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and I promise HE will :) Peace I offer to you in His name in the days to come........

Guest		31-Dec-2004 18:09
Gotta wonder if 144,000 folks weren't taken up.....being as the count is now up to 125,000....

Annette		31-Dec-2004 17:35
The terrible tsunami in Asia was not caused by God,dare I say..I believe it happened outside his control. I believe in the power of God, and that "God is Love." He is in the hearts of the dying,the bereaved,the emergency service workers, the aid workers,the doctors and care givers,the local people who have helped by sharing everything they had with holiday makers who were stranded.He is in every heart,We just have to listen to Him.It is God who enables us to do more,to give more,to be more. The loving compassion in the hearts and minds of all of us who were so moved by this terrible catastrophy, to give money until it hurts,and phyisical hands on help,without thinking twice about it, is God working in the hearts of human beings, this is the power and the love of God.In this past few days we have seen God at work and it is beautiful.

reality check		31-Dec-2004 14:15
There are some genuine comments and heart felt opinions put forward on this site,it is difficult to comprehend the selfness and tit for tat derogitory comments amongst some of the users of this forum.Why does religon always become the subject in question.Religon or an individuals beleif in any religon wont bring back the loved ones of so many whom died as a direct result of this catostrophic natural disaster.The timing of this event "THE HOLIDAY SEASON" for so many families almost doubles the population this time of year in these coastal areas,therefore the fatality rate is going to be much higher,sad but true.It would be more constructive at this stage to concentrate on the releif effort and offer ones thoughts and/or ideas on how to meet the immediate and long term challenges that this event has brought rise to.

Andre Victor		31-Dec-2004 12:33
We don´t need to find a reason.Who did this?I mean we need to stop and think about the future of our planet and the nature.What we want to our children and to the next generations? Money buys oil,weapons, people, thoughts, minds, governments and a lot of things. But against the Nature there´s nothing to do. This is the real wealth: the planet, the nature and his sons and daughters. The planet is crying for help! STOP THE MADNESS! This tragedy was a sign. We need to live this life in a diferent way.Or when we open our eyes it will be too late.There won´t be no return. Andre Victor - Rio de Janeiro-BRAZIL

Guest		31-Dec-2004 09:00
Dear Kumar - There are many people here in the USA who are praying for all beings who have been affected by this Tsunami. We are praying deeply for relief to come to you, especially if you have experienced any direct loss. America is full of nutty people who sometimes don't take their meds., and are mentally and spiritually sick. We say special prays for these people.

Guest		31-Dec-2004 08:50
yeah, many will come and diceive you using my name": Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, and they'll sound real Christian, and they'll hypnotize you and send your sons and brothers and daughters to die. THe end times are when ya'll kill your television and stop watching fox news, jerry springer, and realize GOD aint comin', GOD has always been right here!

Thor		31-Dec-2004 07:27
God didn’t do this. An earthquake did. God is not a volcano, flood, tsunami, a tornado or a lightning struck. Religion has been the main cause of war. Look to the scientists and the natural causes. God slipped, maybe, making this fantastic, beautiful world. Help provide emergency relief to children and families in southeastern Asia whose communities were devastated by Sunday’s tsunami. Give ££££.

Guest		31-Dec-2004 07:12
there is no god in this world, why not u guys understand this thing. for those who are happy due to this tusnami, i will say u are worst being in this world. shame on u and ur religion and faith and ur belive

kumar		31-Dec-2004 07:11
there is no god in this world, why not u guys understand this thing. for those who are due to this tusnami, i will say u are worst being in this world. shame on u and ur religion and faith and ur belive.

Guest		31-Dec-2004 07:09
BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR HE IS COMING. THIS IS JUST THE BEGGINNING OF THE END TIMES. REPENT AND BE FORGIVEN. READ THE HOLY BIBLE.

Guest		31-Dec-2004 06:38
To those who say that God didn't do it, sorry but it's my feeling that you're wrong. It's no coincidence that MUSLIM countries were hit the day after CHRISTMAS. Things will get worse soon... Signs of the End of the Age - Matthew 24 (3)As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (4)Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. (5)For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ’ and will deceive many. (6)You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (7)Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (8)All these are the beginning of birth pains. (9)“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. (10)At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, (11)and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (12)Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, (13)but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (14)And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

jeanette		31-Dec-2004 03:31
Instead of passing judgment on "GOD", lets think about the pain everyone has endured since Sunday. Most people with any knowledge about "GOD" knows that this is his plan and when we step in his way we manage to mess it up. Keep the prayers going for all the children that have lost 1 or maybe both of their parents. Or what about the pain a parent will be in when they find their child lifeless. STEP OUT OF CONDEMNATION AND THROWING ROCKS! Now is not the time God Bless

Guest		30-Dec-2004 18:18
I am truely sorry for all the lives that were taken.I was looking at all the pictures and following the media and couldnt help but to cry. I can not imagine what the horror and disstress they are all going through. I have donated what I can and am currntly volunteering here in the states. I will continue to pray for everyone that lost family, friends and loved ones. There is a long road ahead for all of us.

oj		30-Dec-2004 17:35
please don't waste time and energy on email of a bad nature...too much is at stake. God bless oj

Maurice Dell		30-Dec-2004 17:09
To Richard Sumner, didn't you read my post? I stated I had donated to the Red Cross. If you really want to know I donated a day's gross salary ($700). How dare you call me a selfish bastard. I may earn a lot of money but I don't hesitate to give it away when people are suffering. And, no, the only impact of the disaster is not my honeymoon. I have a Maldivian friend who lost his business when his office on Male was swamped. He had only just been released from prison by the dictator Gayoom (he was imprisoned for years because he criticized the government in an open letter). He now has to build his life from scratch again.

Richard Sumner		30-Dec-2004 16:11
I'm glad to see that the majority of people signing on to this website are sympathetic to the pligtht of the millions of people suffering the enormity of this terrible natural Catastrophe. As members of the human race it is now our duty to give as much money as we can afford to help the aid effort. Every member of my family gave £100 yesterday, whether we could afford it or not and I recommend others do likewise. As to the selfish bastard 'Maurice' who comment ealier thinking only of the impact this disaster would have on his honeymoon plans I would say "join the human race, have a heart and GIVE MONEY". Yes in the longer term tourism is the key industry for many of the people in the effected areas but right helping them to survive these next few weeks and months is OUR only responsibility!

dazza20		30-Dec-2004 12:27
Hey everyone spare a thought for the millions of innocent people whos lives have been affected by this. Either shut the fuck up and make a donation or jump in the sea yourselves. How you can make a joke out of this disaster is beyond me you really are a bunch of sickos FUCK YOU ALL YOU Make me sick

stanzy		30-Dec-2004 10:57
To the ones making jokes out of the incident and blaming God for everything: I'm sorry to know that God has to endure barbarians and pea-brainers like you.. Perhaps it's high time for you guys to dump your heads into your washing machines and wash your brains out. To the sensible ones who feels the same burden as I do for the precious lives that were lost: keep your prayers going strong irregardless of your faith and let's contribute our best to aid the rescue efforts thru donations of cash or clothes to the people hit by the disaster. These people need our help and prayers even much more as new problems arises e.g. starvation, shortage of water for the survivors as well as air contamination due to the stench of decomposing bodies that have no proper places for their burials. Let's make things happen instead of wasting your time to argue with insensitive retards. Ultimately, let God handle them at His 2nd coming... :):) From a guy from Singapore and near to the disaster area...

dave		30-Dec-2004 10:29
people. do a search on "la palma island and tsunami" Dear God. Ease those who suffer and comfort and strength for those who are in mourning. AMEN.

Til		30-Dec-2004 10:21
@ghs man; When I see this disaster, I definitly KNOW there isn't any god. Which god would let this be happening? What kind of god would let die more than 80.000 innoccent people? Save me your crap about 'god', and instead donate your year-salary to the Red Cross. I'm sure your god will provide you with the rent of your house and the food you need... Please forgive me my poor English, it isn't my first language...

ghs man		30-Dec-2004 08:48
I was in Istanbul / Turkey, when that big earthquake hit us at our sleep at 3 am, for 45 seconds with 6.7 R. Nothing about it to make fun with, like now in Asia. This is the time you start to believe in God, the son and the Holly Spirit. Never late, unless you refuse to belive him. I became a strong believer and a strong Christian only 6 years ago, when I was 29 y-old and I was born as a Muslim! Read the Bible you will see the light and the truth, these are the signs, God will give us to every human a chance to hear about him, and to know him, and than if you still refuse him, you choose to loose. I pray to Father God, Dear Lord to give healings and patience to whom lost their parents, kids, wifes, husbands, friends, and all their belongings in all those countries, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sherwin		30-Dec-2004 06:18
i pray for those who have suffered from the tragedy and for those who have died.Its a sad thing that many people have died.My heart goes to them and i hope there is no more tragedies happening to those countries which experienced the tsunami.Its certainly a unforgettable memory for almost all of us.Wish there were no natural disasters.

Imageo		30-Dec-2004 06:09
well done hellmut, both your tsnamie sequences are firstly really good photography and second a graphic illustration of the power and fury or some aspects of nature, yet there can be beauty also, as in the very poignant photo of the sunset with a single chair on the beach. It is both beautiful and eerily empty! I trust you are ok with me linking to this photo album from my blog.

estel		30-Dec-2004 05:52
I knew that the destruction was bad, but was still shocked by the photos. I pray for all those in the disaster hit areas. Anyway, Maurice, you are really one insensitive being. To be capable of worrying only about your honeymoon when people are dying out there is an amazingly heartless feat.

Shermaine Chong		30-Dec-2004 05:23
hey people i am from singapore..my school is CHIJ st nicholas girls school.. just want to say that i am fucking angry at those stupid damn waves...man..i will curse them..shit man..

Jomamma		30-Dec-2004 04:03
Het Maurice you're one insensitive asshole. Please, please just stay home...

Mike		30-Dec-2004 02:27
To Maurice: That's a bit insensitive, don't you think??? Yeah, 80,000 people died in this water...I hope they clean that mess up before MY honeymoon! Ya creep.

Maurice Dell		29-Dec-2004 22:27
What a mess! My honeymoon was planned for April. I wonder if they will have cleaned things up by then. I just donated some money to the Red Cross to speed things along a bit. We may cancel - I can't imagine swimming in that ocean knowing what happened and thinking about all the dead bodies bobbing around. What a disaster. As for nearby Phi Phi, I visited there 14 years ago when it was an idyllic paradise with a scattering of bamboo huts but returned a few years back and discovered that it was choked with hotels and sewer filled alleys, tourists arriving on air conditioned boats with luggage on wheels expecting some 5 star paradise. In my opinion it is good that it was wiped clean - a shame one hotel is still standing. Of course I'm not saying the loss of lives etc was good, don't get me wrong. Anyway, good photo's man, keep up the good work.

Guest		29-Dec-2004 20:43
Ýnsanlar ne zaman azgýnlýkta aþýrý gittiler onlarý mutlaka bir bela bulur ancak onlar bundan ders almazlar. Bu Nuh kavminde de böyle oldu, Firavunda bu hatayý çok geç anladý, Pompei de de ayný dersi alamadý insanoðlu. Þimdide almayacak. Allah Halim'dir

marie		29-Dec-2004 20:13
i hope you're okay

FER		29-Dec-2004 20:07
Is this the Sheraton at Laguna? My heart goes out to all there who are now probably lost.

Dan Chusid		29-Dec-2004 18:18
Agencies reaching out to help the victims: _________________________________________________________ ActionAgainstHunger - 212-967-7800 -http://www.aah-usa.org/ American Jewish World Service - 800-889-7146 -http://www.ajws.org/ ADRA International - 800-424-2372 -http://www.adra.org/ American Friends Service Committee (AFSC Crisis Fund) - 888-588-2372 -http://www.afsc.org/ Catholic Relief Services - 410-625-2220 -http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=41794 Direct Relief Services - 805-964-4767 -http://www.directrelief.org/index.html Doctors Without Borders - 888-392-0392 - www.doctorswithoutborders.org International Medical Corps - 800-481-4462 -http://www.imcworldwide.org/index.shtml International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - PO Box 372, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland -http://www.ifrc.org/ International Orthodox Christian Charities - 877-803-4622 -http://www.iocc.org/ Lutheran World Relief - 800-597-5972 -http://www.lwr.org/ MAP International - 800-225-8550 -http://www.map.org/ Mercy Corps - 800-852-2100 -http://www.mercycorps.org/splash/ Network For Good -http://www.networkforgood.org/ Northwest Medical Teams - 503-624-1000 -http://www.nwmedicalteams.org/ Operation USA - 800-678-7255 -http://www.opusa.org/ Relief International - 310-478-1200 -http://www.ri.org/ Save The Children - 800-728-3843 -http://www.savethechildren.org/ United Nations World Food Program - 202-530-1694 -http://www.wfp.org/ United States Fund for UNICEF - 800-486-4233 -http://www.unicefusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=25933 World Concern - 800-755-5022 -http://www.worldconcern.org/ World Relief - 443-451-1900 -http://www.wr.org/ World Vision - 888-56-CHILD - www.worldvision.org Instead of leaving comments here, you might want to help in some way. - DC

Guest		29-Dec-2004 17:46
Hey booggerg, either there are jerks or there are none but since you are one, then there must be some. But please don't tell us God made you one.

Luigi		29-Dec-2004 17:44
It's terrible!

Opposite		29-Dec-2004 17:40
Why didn't you help that guy? Did he drown in the end?

Opposite		29-Dec-2004 17:38
Why didn't you help that guy? Did he drown in the end?

Guest		29-Dec-2004 15:29
Guest: either there is no god, or there doesn't exist god in the form of that you preach to in the books. I always like religious people's argument that "ohh god prevented that little boy from drowning.. it's god's miracle. It would be god's miracle to not have let this thing happen in the first place."

Ian		29-Dec-2004 14:59
Great dramatic pics Hellmut....and congrats on making "THE SUN" newspaper here in the UK. I hope they rewarded you appropriately. Ian.

Crika		29-Dec-2004 13:18
Poor human beings... You think you are the "Master of the Universe" (just like those stupid super heros) and God and Nature are your slaves... Watch out !!

adamgault		29-Dec-2004 12:49
If you still think there's a god after this kind of random death and destruction, then together with all the other nut-job terrorist psychos who use "god", or "dog", (or whatever you want to call it), as an excuse to murder due to their own mental instability and unhappiness... that's one bloody dog you can have!

Guest		29-Dec-2004 05:10
Hey boogerg, the pictures may not prove there is god but they prove there are real jerks like you.

John		29-Dec-2004 01:25
Thanks for posting these and good luck. booggerg: I think it proves there is god more than there isnt. This puts greed into perspective. Just my opinion.

Bill		28-Dec-2004 18:45
A beautiful depiction of human suffering, and nature's mechanism. Strange that no matter how long we occupy this planet, we are still caught by surprise when Nature puts things back in balance. And for the cynics out there, I have been snatched up by the ocean, and I'm not a small man... it simply tosses you about like a bag of rags... the only thing that could have saved that man was providence. Thank you for your presence of mind.

Guest		28-Dec-2004 18:09
I think these kinds of events affirms that there is no god.

Shocked and Saddened		28-Dec-2004 10:12
Incredibly sad footage - the tragedy is really brought home to us through pictures like yours. Regards, Murf. P.S. At the risk of sounding callous, this would be great advertising for the Canon camera. You may wish to contact them, if they don't find you first.

Guest		28-Dec-2004 05:44
Wow, Beautiful sunset, and with that Chair, says it all. To me, a Chair awaiting the return of the person who was sitting in it. I also looked up your camera. Nice Camera, wish I could afford it. Take Care, Joe

Guest		28-Dec-2004 01:22
http://theage.com.au/

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