As the sun sets on the beach on Wednesday, 100,000 candles will be lit on Patong Beach to remember those who died in the tsunami three years ago. For two hours, the bars will turn down their music, the vendors will lay down their wares and the people will silently honour those who died.It's amazing to think that three years have already passed since the wave came crashing down on December 26, 2004. The memory of the devastation and loss of life is with us every day. Life certainly goes on, and the physical damage to the island's resorts have long been repaired. But for many, the pain lingers. With the sea being such a central focus of life on Phuket, you simply cannot forget.
This week relatives of those who died have been arriving in Phuket for the commemoration services. Judging by previous years, the services will be sombre and sad. At Patong Beach, 108 Buddhist monks will lead a service on the beach at 10am, the time the tsunami struck. This will be followed by the candle lighting ceremony in the evening.At Khoa Lak resort on the mainland, about 90 minutes drive from Phuket, the ceremonies will be presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya, who lost a son in the disaster. Candles will be lit and 5,395 lanterns will be released into the sky in honour of the same number of people who died in the disaster there. The ceremonies will include five faiths: Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu.
For many of the hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers in Phuket this high season, it will be the first time they are confronted with the reality of that traumatic day. Looking at the packed beaches and the tranquil sea every day, it seems almost inconceivable that it could have happened. But it did - and it should provide a reminder that one's life can be taken away in a moment. Let's hope it is a wake-up call to all of us that we should always live life to the full. It doesn't last forever.
