Tsunami victims return to thank Thais who helped them

Ten years after losing their mother in the 2004 tsunami, a British brother and sister are returning to Phuket to thank a Thai couple for helping them through the ordeal

Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning

Pictured 10 years ago after the tsunami, Yupin Sengmuang, right, and former husband, Pichet Buaniam, helped British siblings Emily and Ben Willgrass (below) during the 2004 tsunami. (Photos from Facebook)

Tsunami pair to visit Thai helpers

Post Reporters

Thai authorities plan to honour a Thai couple who helped two British siblings survive the devastating tsunami that battered Asia’s shores on Boxing Day in 2004.

Brother and sister Ben and Emily Willgrass are returning to Phuket hoping to reunite with the Thai couple — Yupin Sengmuang and her former husband Pichet Buaniam — who helped them escape the tsunami nearly 10 years ago.

Pol Maj Urumphon Khundetsamrit, a Phuket tourist police inspector, said Wednesday provincial agencies plan to present the couple with a certificate of honour in recognition of their good deed and act of kindness.

Ms Yupin, from Nakhon Sawan, and her ex-husband Mr Pichet, from Phatthalung, moved to Phuket about 20 years ago.

After the couple divorced, Mr Pichet moved back to his home province of Phatthalung while Ms Yupin remains in Phuket, reports said.

On Dec 26, 2004, youngsters Emily and Ben were on holiday with their parents in Phuket when the massive tsunami struck.

The siblings posted a message on Facebook on Tuesday asking people to help them get in touch with the couple.

They said they will return to Phuket on Sunday, hoping to meet the couple again and thank them for their help.

“During the worst moment of our lives Ms Yupin and Mr Pichet were there for us and our family and we are trying to find them now,’’ they said.

“On our journey to find high ground a Thai couple took us in and looked after us while our dad went in search of our mum who was missing.

“Tragically her body was found later that day.

“They let us stay with them until we could leave Phuket the following day and, as Phuket airport was closed, [they] drove us over 870km to Bangkok so we could fly back to England.

“Words cannot explain how thankful we are for the help and support they gave us, and the kindness they showed at a time when it was needed most will never be forgotten,’’ the brother and sister said.

After learning that the siblings will return to meet her in Phuket, Ms Yupin, 46, said: “I am happy to hear that they still remember me and are coming back to see me again.’’

She and Mr Pichet ran a grocery store and a food shop on Traitrang beach in Kathu district of Phuket when the tsunami hit.

After the devastation, she saw the two siblings and their father searching for their missing mother on Patong beach.

At the time, it was dark on the beach as all the lights went out after the tsunami.

Their father asked her to take care of his children before continuing to look for their mother, Ms Yupin said.

With her reunion with the brother and sister edging closer, journalists from television, newspapers and websites at home and abroad are seeking interviews with Ms Yupin, with Phuket tourist police acting as translators.

Ms Yupin said she helped without expecting anything in return.

“I felt sorry for them. They were in terrible trouble so I did my best to help them.

“I’ll never forget that day,’’ she said.

The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami hit six southern provinces along the Andaman coast of Thailand, killing more than 8,000 people, many of them foreign tourists.

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/420998/tsunami-victims-return-to-thank-thais-who-helped-them