Thai tsunami victims unveil 'World's longest batik' to mark disaster anniversary
A group of Thai workers who lost their livelihoods in the 2004 Tsunami mark the first anniversary of the disaster by unveiling their own memorial - a 133 metre long hand-made batik chronicling what happened when the tsunami waves hit Khao Lak.
A group of Thai workers who lost their livelihoods in the 2005 Tsunami plan to mark the first anniversary of the disaster by unveiling their own memorial - a 133 metre long hand-made batik chronicling what happened when the tsunami waves hit Khao Lak.
The batik is the work of the Phang Nga Labour Club, a group of 25 former Khao Lak hotel workers who lost their jobs after the tsunami hit. The Club believes their commemorative artwork is the longest batik in the world and they are considering submitting it to the Guinness Book of Records after its exact length is measured.
The panoramic batik will be previewed at a conference on the tsunami, “Life of Workers: 1 year after the Tsunami Disaster” to be held in Bangkok on Friday December 16th at the Amari Atrium Hotel, Petchaburi Rd. It will be formally unveiled during the tsunami commemoration events on December 26th, in Phang Nga Province.
The media are invited to see the batik from 12.15 on Friday 16th December at the Amari Atrium hotel. The conference is also open to the press.
The Labour Club was set up in August 2005 with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO). As part of its post-tsunami livelihood recovery work the ILO provided the laid-off workers with business start-up training, training in batik making, basic materials and rental of a workshop. The Club hope their artwork will not only remind people what happened to their communities, but showcase their craft skills and help build their new business.
The conference will be attended by around 120 Thai workers affected by the tsunami – including some from the Batik Group – including laid off workers, migrant workers, fisher folk and sex workers. The Thai Minister of Labour, H. E. Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin is due to give the keynote speech.
The conference is being organized jointly by the Thai Ministry of Labour, the National Human Rights Commission,the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS),the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), and the ILO.
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