PATONG beach was covered in candles as sky lanterns were sent skywards on Saturday night to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2004 tsunami. Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob, his wife and Phuket Provincial Administration CEO Paiboon Upatising, took part in the ceremony. British honorary consul Martin Carpenter and his Australian counterpart Larry Cunningham were among those present. Proceedings seemed less solemn that in previous years, with the emphasis on children having fun in the sand.


PHUKET led the Andaman coast in commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami today, with about 800 people from many nationalities gathering in Patong for services and prayers.

Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob read a message from Thailand's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, in which he said today was a very important day for Thailand.

Khun Abhisit said it was sad to lose so many people in a natural disaster. He said that Thailand now understood how important it was to have systems in place to provide ample warning should such an event happen again.

Khun Abhisit also praised the rest of the world for coming to Thailand's aid in its time of crisis. ''Today is a national day to honor the thousands of people who died in six Thai provinces,'' he said.

The reading of the PM's letter was followed at 10.10am by a minute's silence to honor the dead.

Some of the mourners today were tourists, straight from the beach, dressed in swimming costumes.

British honorary consul Martin Carpenter was among the dignitaries. As the solemn service was celebrated, a few metres away life went on as usual on Patong beach.

Parasailing and the buzz of jet-skis provided evidence that the big wave of 2004 had done nothing to alter Phuket's appeal.

In the main photo: Trish Silvers, who has reverted to using her maiden name, was honeymooning on Phi Phi when the tsunami struck, killing her husband, leading Australian Rules footballer Troy Broadbridge. Since then Ms Silvers has raised funding to build and maintain a school on Phi Phi through the Reach Broadbridge Fund. The primary school teaches 46 students who lost their homes or their families. It has a heavy emphasis on learning English. ''One of the reasons I keep coming back to the island is to see the kids,''' Ms Silvers says. ''They've got some hope here because of what the school has done. I never want to forget what happened and I never want to forget Troy.''