NEWS

11 January 2005
Tsunami News Update



TSUNAMI NEWS UPDATE

From ICOMOS Thailand

Please accept our appreciation for your sympathies and the help offered.
During absent of our summary report on situation of Heritage damaged by TSUNAMI, I have the brief report from Mr.Vasu Posayanandha, an assistant
secretary of ICOMOS Thailand and also officer of the Fine Art Department (F.A.D-an ICOMOS Institution Member) which is the national organisation
responsible for national heritages . Mr.Vasu said that the survey in the TSUNAMI impact area is on going. He had a preliminary report from the team that the over 20 monument heritages and sites surveyed in the affected zone (from Trang to Phuket province) are fortunately unharmed. Even the one site on "Koh Kor Khao" near the sea and the devasted fisherman village in Phang-Nga, is slightly damaged only in its edging area due to most of it is located inland. (This 480,000 sq.m archaeological heritage site in Koh Kor Khao was an ancient port city dated in 9th century, comprised with community and
8 historical monuments )
The other heritages those may be in risk, are the ancient primitive art on the walls of sea caves such as Viking Cave in Phang-Nga and Phi Huo Toe Cave
in Krabi which are over 2,000 years olds. Therefore the officer of F.A.D give us a hopeful news that these paintings may not be affected, most of them were above the level of the wave.
This preliminary news was also reported in local newspaper by our Secretariat general, Mr. Khemchat Tepchai on January 7, 2005.
As was mentioned in the news, the most damaged from this natural catastrophe in Thailand was human lives, also the mental pain of the survivors who are faced
with this terrilble disaster.
As to the minority Sea people call "Mogen" in Surin Islands, I get the good news that most of them survived thanks to their local wisdom, but meanwhile, their charming vernacular architectures are gone with the wave. At present, they are moved to land temporary until they are mentallye ready to return to the islands. By the way these sea people have a group call "Andaman Pilot Project (APP)" which has worked on research about the sea people live in Andaman Ocean,
giving them aid and support with careful and conservative way. (see APP's website: www.cusri.chula.ac.th/andaman) My colleagues and I, we are positive
with this kind of support. We have opinion that the best way to help them rebuild their communities is to support them to return their islands and let
them reconstruct their habitations by their own way. Because they always know what is the best for them as they always did.
The last news is not about the cultural property but it's a good side effect after the catastophe, which I would like to share with you. I read it from
the news this morning. The villagers found some sea turtle's eggs on Mai Khaow(White wood) beach, one of the affected beaches in Phuket. This kind of
turtle has disappeared from this area for 3 years ago. The Mai Khaow villagers are very excited to see them again. The conservationist give the
possible reasons that bring them return to lay their eggs on the beaches again are because of the clean beach and water and absent of fishing boats.
I hope that we will have more good news from our neighbour countries, too.
The summary report from ICOMOS Thailand Committe is expected to sent to ICOMOS International at the end of this month.

Best regards,
Ratsamee Rattanachaiyanont
ICOMOS Thailand Secretariat Coordinator



From ICOMOS Sri Lanka

TSUNAMI DISASTER 26/12 - INTERIM REPORT JAN 12

The current update from Sri Lanka on the development on the disaster areas is as follows:

The country has now settled down to take rational decisions on the development and rehabilitation process. Important and difficult decisions have to be taken by the decision makers and some of them may not be too popular. We have to wait for the final outcome of the deliberations on how they hope to avoid a future catastrophe of this nature. In that context we are taking into account not only the affects of seismic activity in the region but also the affects of global warming such as the gradual rise in sea levels and also cyclone and gale force winds.

We have avoided major health problems of the refugees and also the numbers in the camps are coming down thanks to the donor countries who have donated temporary shelter in the form of tents and camping equipment. In addition, some others have been moved to live with friends and relations with dry rations being distributed periodically.
The next stage is to finalise the development plans and settle the people permanently. This process if now going on and in the general guidelines issued by the National Physical Planning Department says that, “ … The necessity to re-plan the urban areas should be used as an opportunity to create better and sustainable urban environments. It is of prime importance, however, to retain the regional flavour in terms of architectural and historical integrity and uniqueness of the individual towns. Conservation of historic structures must be given due consideration in redevelopment plans. Activities that need to be relocated owing to their incongruity, obsolescence or any other reason should be found alternative lands. …”
In addition, now that the debris is being cleared in the affected areas, there is a clearer picture of the cultural property that is affected.
(a) Conditional Survey is underway and the seven universities have undertaken the task of carrying out this survey.
(b) Even though Galle Fort, the only World Heritage Site in the affected areas, is not terribly affected, the Marine Archaeology Laboratory, its equipment and findings were lost.
(c) Some of the temples, churches and other religious buildings have suffered. Even though no Buddha statues in the affected areas have been disturbed at all, the ancillary buildings in the temples have been affected. Some churches can be restored with minimum interventions whilst others have been destroyed or require major interventions.
(d) There were many historic houses and commercial streets in the affected areas. Some of them are just a pile of rubble but there are many that can be restored. These are privately owned and the government of Sri Lanka is not in a position to fund the restoration programme of these. We need at think of a way of getting some funding and technical advice to the owners of these properties to restore these houses because otherwise we will lose them forever and with them the character and identity of these towns and villages.
(e) A new threat is that the re-development proposals, might affect the cultural property in the hinterland. We will have to intervene and take stock of these sites also as a next stage of our surveys.
(f) As soon as the pressure is over, and before the final micro-level planning of local development areas are undertaken, we in ICOMOS Sri Lanka feel that we need to educate our planners, urban designers and architects in safeguarding of cultural property during urban planning and urban regeneration.

Pali Wijeratne
President, ICOMOS Sri Lanka







STATEMENT FROM ICOMOS SRI LANKA:

26/12: Reconstruction, Conservation and the Preservation of Memory

Three days after the great tsunami disaster of 26 December the Sri Lanka National Committee of ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites) met and issued a statement which mourned the death of thousands of fellow Sri Lankans and peoples of neighbouring countries as well as visitors from far off lands. ICOMOS SL commiserated with the hundreds of thousands who were bereaved, displaced, whose lives have been disrupted and homes and work places destroyed. Although in various ways ICOMOS SL members in their individual capacities were involved in assisting the bereaved and the dislocated, and discussed how to systematize or concentrate efforts, the meeting mainly focussed on the little discussed- socio-psychological and socio-cultural dimensions of the situation.

The human scale of this disaster was one of unprecedented magnitude. Within minutes, hundreds of thousands were killed, injured or displaced, lives disrupted, homes and work places destroyed. Clearly the pressing need of the hour was the burial of the dead, the search for the missing, the consolation of the bereaved and continuing and intensified assistance to all those who have been made homeless or otherwise adversely affected by the tragedy. But it was also necessary to look to the future -- to the aftermath of the tragedy, the continuing effects of it on the lives of millions, where people and local communities have to rebuild their lives, restore their living and working environments and undertake the million tasks of reconstruction.

“As the forward planning for reconstruction begins, it is also vital that the preservationist dimension is built into the national vision that is being formulated and the national tasks that are envisaged.”



Human tragedy and physical environment

There are, first of all, the human costs of the tragedy which need to be confronted: death and bereavement, the nightmare of the missing, trauma, injury, the possibility of disease, the longer term effects on individual health, the emerging economic consequences on occupations, employment, loss of property, living conditions …the list is long and endless. And there is not only the rebuilding of lives but also the reconstruction of the physical environment.

It is this latter task which the planning sector of government has already begun to think about ICOMOS SL draws attention to the deepest implications of this work. As the forward planning for reconstruction begins, it is also vital that the preservationist dimension is built into the national vision that is being formulated and the national tasks that are envisaged.

· It is important therefore that the preservation or restoration of heritage buildings and other cultural monuments, environments and landscapes are incorporated as an important aspect of the rebuilding plans.
· From an economic point of view, conserving and restoring an old building or buildings is often more cost effective than tearing it down and building anew, however much clearing and new construction may seem to be the easier option – although exercising that option would need a conservationist perspective, skills and experience.
· In catastrophes of this nature, there is an important socio-psychological and socio-cultural need for local communities and individuals to see and feel that the familiar environments with which they identify are not totally wiped out.
· Conservation and restoration is a very special contribution towards preserving and carrying the memory of the past into the rebuilding of the future.

“ In catastrophes of this nature, there is an important socio-psychological and socio-cultural need for local communities and individuals to see and feel that the familiar environments with which they identify are not totally wiped out… conservation and restoration is a very special contribution towards preserving and carrying the memory of the past into the rebuilding of the future. “

· ‘Maintaining the familiar’ is one of the most valuable components of the entire restorative process, helping to ‘keep one’s moorings’, to retain identity, to engender and strengthen a psychology of survival and recovery in the face of great destruction.
· In another sense, a country’s coastline is part of its fundamental memory – the palaeoclimatic and archaeological remains found here is a vital and subtle source of information about its relations with the world beyond its shores in geological and historical time.
· Preserving, conserving and restoring the remains that have survived this disaster is a fitting monument to those affected by the tragedy.

Coast Conservation and Damage Assessment

No doubt in some instances entire urban centres and rural and suburban settlements have been entirely wiped out, but in others enough is left for conservation or restoration. It is precisely for this reason that it is important a program should begin at once to assess the damage and plan the protection and preservation of heritage buildings and environments as an integral part of the reconstruction master plan. In order to do this the University Departments of Archaeology, Architecture, and Historical and Cultural Studies are being invited by ICOMOS SL to establish small teams to undertake a rapid survey program of the coastal region. The survey will be based on the Protected Sites and Monuments scheduled under the Antiquities Ordinance and also the Report on the Inventory of Places of Religious and Cultural Significance and Areas of Scenic and Recreational Value within the Coastal Zone of Sri Lanka (P.L.Prematilleke, 1989) published by the Coast Conservation Department (1989). The preliminary situation survey is positioned to commence in the second week of January and will be completed before the end of the month.

Statement of the Sri Lanka National Committee of ICOMOS

In the aftermath of the calamity of 26 December, the Sri Lanka National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) mourns the death of thousands of fellow Sri Lankans and peoples of neighbouring countries as well as visitors from far off lands. We commiserate with the bereaved and the hundreds of thousands who have been displaced, whose lives have been disrupted and homes and work places destroyed, by the tsunami disaster.

We recognise that the pressing need of the hour is the burial of the dead, the consolation of the bereaved, the search for the missing, and continuing and intensified assistance to all who have been made homeless or otherwise adversely affected by this great natural tragedy. But we also look to the future where people and local communities rebuild their lives, restore their living and working environments and undertake the million tasks of reconstruction.

Planners are already at work looking at the problems of rebuilding and reconstruction, sometimes of entire townships.

In the many national tasks that lie ahead, in the weeks, months and years to come, as far as reconstruction is concerned we believe that the preservation or restoration of heritage buildings and other cultural monuments, environments and landscapes is an important aspect of the rebuilding plans. An important social need is for local communities not to see and feel that the familiar environments which they identify with are not wiped out.

In order to assess the damage and plan the protection and preservation process we are inviting the universities to establish small teams to undertake a rapid survey program of the coastal region, under the supervision of ICOMOS members, commencing in the first week of January.

Archt. Plnr. Pali Wijeratne Dr Roland Silva
(President SL ICOMOS National Committee) (Honorary President, ICOMOS)

Prof. Senake Bandaranayake Prof. Nimal de Silva
(Past President SL ICOMOS Nat. Com.) (Past President SL ICOMOS Nat. Com.)

Archt. Veranjan Kurukulasuriya
(Joint Secretary, SL ICOMOS Nat. Com.)

29 December 2004
12th January 2004





From Michael Petzet, President of ICOMOS

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

ICOMOS joins the international community in deploring the tragic loss of life due to the tsunami which hit the coasts of several countries accross Asia and Africa on Sunday 26 December 2004 and expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the populations and governments struck by this tragedy.
In these days all of our members are asking how we with our professional network can help those countries affected by the Tsunami disaster, and I am very grateful for the many constructive suggestions and ideas we have received. After the disaster of 26 December we tried at once to take up contact with the National Committees of the countries concerned and were extremely relieved to hear that, as far as we could find out, our colleagues had survived this gigantic human catastrophe and had already started making active contributions to saving their endangered cultural heritage. We received the most comprehensive news from ICOMOS Sri Lanka, the country where my predecessor as President of ICOMOS International, Roland Silva, organised the General Assembly of ICOMOS in 1993 - for many of us an unforgettable experience. ICOMOS Sri Lanka intends to present a first damage report by the end of this month.
In the present situation the alleviation of human suffering must of course be first priority. We are touched by a human tragedy of inconceivable dimensions, but we also feel our professional responsibility to assist the countries hit by the floods to save the damaged and endangered cultural heritage. After all, we believe that this cultural heritage in the form of monuments and sites has a vital role to play in reconstructing lost places and communities and that also after a disaster the preservation of local building traditions is of great importance for the identity of cultural regions. Some of our committees in the affected countries have therefore already started surveying and identifying heritage at risk, - this is urgent work which will continue.
The consequences of the Tsunami disaster will also have to be on the agenda of the ICOMOS Executive Committee meeting in early February. At the same time there will also be a meeting of the International Committee of the Blue Shield, a committee bringing together ICOMOS with ICOM (the International Council of Museums), ICA (International Council on Archives) and IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). For future actions in the regions harmed by the flood catastrophe a close co-operation with our partner organisations, in particular ICOM, makes sense, but of course as always in such cases we wish to work under the guidance of UNESCO, and we are also in contact with ICCROM (the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome), as well as with IUCN, the World Conservation Union, the latter two being our partners as advisory bodies of UNESCO within the framework of the World Heritage Convention.
Dear Colleagues and Friends, our new Heritage at Risk Report 2004/2005, which will come out in the coming weeks, will show once again that many monuments and historic sites are threatened world-wide even if they are on the World Heritage List and that the losses caused not only by natural disasters but also by man are immense. Faced with the gigantic Tsunami catastrophe, which hit mankind exactly one year after the terrible Bam earthquake (26 December 2003), we have to concentrate for the time being on compiling information in order to then be able to start actions under the guidance of the relevant National Committees. No doubt, some of our International Scientific Committees, eg the Committee for Earthen Architecture, will also be able to make contributions. So I sincerely hope that with the help of all of you the professional network of ICOMOS will prove to be successful even in view of this tremendous challenge.
The International Monuments Day on 18 April 2005, initiated by ICOMOS, will offer many of our committees an extra opportunity to point out the consequences of the Tsunami disaster for the cultural heritage.

Michael Petzet, President of ICOMOS International