TWO SETS of human bones have been located in different spots along the Phang Nga coast, reopening tsunami missing person files.
Both finds came this month, the first at Baan Bang Niang and the second at Koh Kor Kao. Neither case provided complete skeletons, just bone parts.
Bones from a torso and leg were found at Baan Bang Niang on February 5. Fourteen days later, an arm bone was recovered at Koh Kor Kao, the island close to the village of Nam Khem.
Nitinai Sornsongkram, Project Manager at the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification centre at Bang Maruan in Phang Nga, told Phuketwan that both sets of bones were now being examined by forensics specialists in Bangkok.
DNA would be compared with samples already in the TTVI database.
''It's likely these are the bones of tsunami victims,'' he said. ''There are no police reports of missing people in either of those areas.
''We will see what the forensic detectives are able to tell us.''
Both sets of bones were dug up by backhoes at coastal construction projects.
Identification work continues in Bangkok and at the TTVI centre with its neighboring cemetery, where about 380 unidentified bodies of tsunami victims remain buried in special metal containers within concrete tombs.
The double layer preserves as much DNA as possible in case new evidence of identity comes to light.
About 500 names are still listed as missing, although the remains of most of these people are already in the cemetery.
The difficulty is that the TTVI requires conclusive proof, to establish identity beyond doubt.
Above ground, in cooled shipping containers, the bodies of three identified Thais lie, awaiting collection. In the containers are another 24 identified bodies, belonging to Burmese.
The Burmese/Myanmar government refuses to accept these people as its citizens, so they lie in the cool, and wait.
Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister visited the Andaman region and engaged in talk with TTVI officials and provincial governors, but so far the bodies remain uncollected.
Through the astute detective work of TTVI police in cooperation with welfare agencies, many bodies of Burmese have already been returned to relatives.
Another body above ground in a cooled container belongs to a Nepalese man. He was formally identified on January 18, 2006, and his relatives in Nepal were told of his fate.
Since then, for more than three years now, he has been waiting for someone to come.
Phuketwan was present late last year when the body of a small Thai victim of the tsunami was returned to mourning parents, a grandmother and friends, then cremated at Bang Maruan.
The Photo Album above is of that farewell.
Last year we were also present when a man collected and later cremated the body of his wife . . . for the second time.
The first woman was a victim of mistaken identify. Fortunately, the man had kept her teeth in loving memory, so the DNA could be checked.
Now the teeth lack a name.
The presence of several sets of cremation remains at the cemetery indicates that more than one mistake has probably been made, and partially rectified.
Officially, the TTVI has always been reluctant to speak about the potential for mistakes, especially in the early phase of the identification process, in the 40 days before the TTVI was established.
However, most forensic experts we have spoken to accept that between one in 20 and one in five of the early identifications, made before international standards were adopted, were probably mistakes.
Phuketwan does not wish to disturb the closure of families involved in the tragedy but faulty identifications have the potential to hamper the resolution of the outstanding cases.
We supplied a long list of questions to the TTVI in July last year, aimed at clarifying the likelihood of misidentifications early in the process.
In October, we were told that the questions would not be answered. All efforts for eight months to achieve a face-to-face interview to clarify the matter have failed.
This is a great shame. There is still enormous international interest in the identification process, with about half the victims being Thai and the other half being from 40 other countries.
The number of Swedes and Germans who died amounted to more than 1030. Large numbers of British, Finns, Swiss, French and Austrians also perished.
Diplomats and police outside Thailand with an interest in the case agree that mistakes may have possibly remained undetected, and possibly uncorrected.
Rectifying those mistakes could allow more of the outstanding cases to be concluded.
In giving names to the vast majority of the 5395 victims, forensic police, pathologists and dentists from Thailand and around the world achieved remarkable results.
The end-game task is becoming more challenging, though, as relatives move house, change addresses and become more difficult to contact in the event of fresh inquiries.
Although the number of successful identifications is now diminishing, costs of the project continue to mount.
At some point, probably before the fifth anniversary of the tsunami on December 26, 2009, the project will probably be concluded, or permanently scaled back.
That will leave a huge moral dilemma for whoever makes the decision.
Should forensic police abide by their scientific principles and continue to maintain the need for 99.9 percent proof of identity, through DNA, dental records or fingerprints?
Or should the standard be lowered, so that more of the families still waiting to know the fate of their loved ones can find closure and peace of mind?
It's the last great unanswered question from the big wave.
Tsunami Wave Carries Powerful Memories
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Tsunami Wave Carries Powerful Memories
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Bodywork: How Tsunami Victims Reclaimed Names
The Man Who Waits in The Cool Container
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Water and Fire: A Tsunami Reunion
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Warning drills for a tsunami are easy in sunshine. But the unpredictable arrival of a big wave in the middle of the night, when telephones and television are switched off, leaves us asking: How safe are we?
Tsunami Warning Test: How Safe Are We?
Tsunami Warning: 'Resorts to Blame'
The lessons of the 2004 tsunami have not been learned. And for the first time, the reliability of the big wave warning system is being questioned. An adequate answer is essential.
Tsunami Warning: 'Resorts to Blame'
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Both finds came this month, the first at Baan Bang Niang and the second at Koh Kor Kao. Neither case provided complete skeletons, just bone parts.
Bones from a torso and leg were found at Baan Bang Niang on February 5. Fourteen days later, an arm bone was recovered at Koh Kor Kao, the island close to the village of Nam Khem.
Nitinai Sornsongkram, Project Manager at the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification centre at Bang Maruan in Phang Nga, told Phuketwan that both sets of bones were now being examined by forensics specialists in Bangkok.
DNA would be compared with samples already in the TTVI database.
''It's likely these are the bones of tsunami victims,'' he said. ''There are no police reports of missing people in either of those areas.
''We will see what the forensic detectives are able to tell us.''
Both sets of bones were dug up by backhoes at coastal construction projects.
Identification work continues in Bangkok and at the TTVI centre with its neighboring cemetery, where about 380 unidentified bodies of tsunami victims remain buried in special metal containers within concrete tombs.
The double layer preserves as much DNA as possible in case new evidence of identity comes to light.
About 500 names are still listed as missing, although the remains of most of these people are already in the cemetery.
The difficulty is that the TTVI requires conclusive proof, to establish identity beyond doubt.
Above ground, in cooled shipping containers, the bodies of three identified Thais lie, awaiting collection. In the containers are another 24 identified bodies, belonging to Burmese.
The Burmese/Myanmar government refuses to accept these people as its citizens, so they lie in the cool, and wait.
Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister visited the Andaman region and engaged in talk with TTVI officials and provincial governors, but so far the bodies remain uncollected.
Through the astute detective work of TTVI police in cooperation with welfare agencies, many bodies of Burmese have already been returned to relatives.
Another body above ground in a cooled container belongs to a Nepalese man. He was formally identified on January 18, 2006, and his relatives in Nepal were told of his fate.
Since then, for more than three years now, he has been waiting for someone to come.
Phuketwan was present late last year when the body of a small Thai victim of the tsunami was returned to mourning parents, a grandmother and friends, then cremated at Bang Maruan.
The Photo Album above is of that farewell.
Last year we were also present when a man collected and later cremated the body of his wife . . . for the second time.
The first woman was a victim of mistaken identify. Fortunately, the man had kept her teeth in loving memory, so the DNA could be checked.
Now the teeth lack a name.
The presence of several sets of cremation remains at the cemetery indicates that more than one mistake has probably been made, and partially rectified.
Officially, the TTVI has always been reluctant to speak about the potential for mistakes, especially in the early phase of the identification process, in the 40 days before the TTVI was established.
However, most forensic experts we have spoken to accept that between one in 20 and one in five of the early identifications, made before international standards were adopted, were probably mistakes.
Phuketwan does not wish to disturb the closure of families involved in the tragedy but faulty identifications have the potential to hamper the resolution of the outstanding cases.
We supplied a long list of questions to the TTVI in July last year, aimed at clarifying the likelihood of misidentifications early in the process.
In October, we were told that the questions would not be answered. All efforts for eight months to achieve a face-to-face interview to clarify the matter have failed.
This is a great shame. There is still enormous international interest in the identification process, with about half the victims being Thai and the other half being from 40 other countries.
The number of Swedes and Germans who died amounted to more than 1030. Large numbers of British, Finns, Swiss, French and Austrians also perished.
Diplomats and police outside Thailand with an interest in the case agree that mistakes may have possibly remained undetected, and possibly uncorrected.
Rectifying those mistakes could allow more of the outstanding cases to be concluded.
In giving names to the vast majority of the 5395 victims, forensic police, pathologists and dentists from Thailand and around the world achieved remarkable results.
The end-game task is becoming more challenging, though, as relatives move house, change addresses and become more difficult to contact in the event of fresh inquiries.
Although the number of successful identifications is now diminishing, costs of the project continue to mount.
At some point, probably before the fifth anniversary of the tsunami on December 26, 2009, the project will probably be concluded, or permanently scaled back.
That will leave a huge moral dilemma for whoever makes the decision.
Should forensic police abide by their scientific principles and continue to maintain the need for 99.9 percent proof of identity, through DNA, dental records or fingerprints?
Or should the standard be lowered, so that more of the families still waiting to know the fate of their loved ones can find closure and peace of mind?
It's the last great unanswered question from the big wave.
The 2004 ThaI Tsunami: Essential Reading
Tsunami Wave Carries Powerful Memories
Photo Album Phang Nga was the epicentre of the big wave that devastated the Andaman coast on December 26, 2004. Four years on, the region reflects on the significance of the tsunami.
Tsunami Wave Carries Powerful Memories
Tsunami ID Cremation Mixups Trouble Families
Photo Album The return of the wrong bodies to families of some tsunami victims is believed to be making the highly praised Thai Tsunami Victim Identification process even more complicated.
Tsunami ID Cremation Mixups Trouble Families
Tsunami Missing: Families Still Waiting to Hear
Tsunami tears will flow this week for the dead, and for those still missing. Despite a forensic triumph that identified most of the unnamed victims, families still seek closure.
Tsunami Missing: Families Still Waiting to Hear
Bodywork: How Tsunami Victims Reclaimed Names
The work by international police created the greatest forensic detective saga in history. Here is a report from the first 100 days.
Bodywork: How Tsunami Victims Reclaimed Names
The Man Who Waits in The Cool Container
Lost and found. Those three words tell a tsunami story that applied to thousands of victims. But for one of the lost and found, there has been no reunion with loved ones. And there may never be.
The Man Who Waits in The Cool Container
Water and Fire: A Tsunami Reunion
The poorest unidentified victims of the tsunami in Thailand are the ones who still have yet to be reunited with relatives. Here is a report of one reunion.
Water and Fire: A Tsunami Reunion
Phuket Wall of Remembrance Now a Disgrace
The world gave to Phuket and the Andaman coast after the 2004 tsunami. Now the island's Wall of Remembrance sits in a disgraceful state, with some flags of 45 countries blown away.
Phuket Wall of Remembrance Now a Disgrace
Tsunami Warning Test: How Safe Are We?
Warning drills for a tsunami are easy in sunshine. But the unpredictable arrival of a big wave in the middle of the night, when telephones and television are switched off, leaves us asking: How safe are we?
Tsunami Warning Test: How Safe Are We?
Tsunami Warning: 'Resorts to Blame'
The lessons of the 2004 tsunami have not been learned. And for the first time, the reliability of the big wave warning system is being questioned. An adequate answer is essential.
Tsunami Warning: 'Resorts to Blame'
US Calls For Tsunami ID work To Continue
A US grant to Thailand of up to $1.5 million to assist in restoring names to victims of the Asian Tsunami expires on March 31. But a scandal continues to obscure the future of the identification process.
US Calls For Tsunami ID work To Continue
Thai Official Accused of Tsunami Corruption
Accusations of corruption by a Thai official take the edge off a generous international tsunami project that involved about 40 countries and gave names back to thousands of unidentified victims.
Thai Official Accused of Tsunami Corruption
