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first person

Alan Morison

Former fisherman Prasert Suwanprasert, 30, gave up his old job after the tsunami wrecked much of the fleet of Baan Nam Khem township in Phang Nga province. About 850 people died in his home town. Now, he is among 17 Thais, all affected by the tsunami, who are taking a diving instructor's course with the Ecotourism Training Centre

I was working as a fisherman last year, mostly with my father. That morning we were ashore, and I had something to do in Takuapa [the district capital], so I left my parents at home in Nam Khem.

I came back about noon and saw what had happened. I ran to look for my parents. There were many bodies.

I found my father's body near our home. The bodies of my niece and my nephew were there, too, not far from each other. I had nothing left, no possessions and no place to sleep. Our home had been destroyed, and I couldn't find my mother.

Those of us from Nam Khem who survived went into temporary accommodation. I looked for my mother among the bodies that had been taken to the local temple. Three days after the tsunami struck, I was finally told that her body had been found. It wasn't an easy time.

I went back to fishing, but then I heard about the dive-master training course at the Ecotourism Training Centre in Khao Lak.

I thought it was a good idea, a way for us to make more money.

We are learning how to navigate underwater, lead tour groups and all the diving skills. Most dive instructors are foreigners because Thais cannot afford to pay for the courses. But Padi (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and the French Red Cross have sponsored this programme. At the Ecotourism Training Centre, we are kept busy, and that helps. We learn to dive, to use computers, and improve our English, as well as hospitality skills. All the students at the centre were affected by the tsunami. One of my classmates lost seven close relatives. Now I am living by myself in the rebuilt family house in Nam Khem. My brother's home is nearby.

At night sometimes, someone in the neighbourhood will imagine that another tsunami is coming. They will yell out.

In the dark, with the sea so close, it is easy to become frightened, so usually we will all end up fleeing to higher ground.

I hope the bad nights will end when the tsunami-warning system of towers is installed along the coast. In some ways, I'm happier now, and I will try to make a better life for myself alone.

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