Many Hong Kong people are missing, in addition to Thais and people on vacation from around the world. We could have been there too. We have been to nearby Phuket several times during the holidays. More here from a Swiss source.
The scale of the devastation is mind boggling. My heart goes out to those families in particular where half have died and half have to struggle on. Also to the brave people who have to get the bodies out of the remains of the hotels.
I hope enough aid gets to all the worst affected places, especially in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, before disease spreads and kills many more.
Perhaps the one good thing to come out of this will be a jolt to the warring parties in Sri Lanka and Aceh - a reminder that compared to the value of human life, struggles for power and domination are of a different order.
I hope justice, common sense and peace prevails.