Irish diplomats in tsunami commemoration service

IRISH diplomatic officials travelled to Thailand yesterday to commemorate the thousands who died in the tsunami disaster over two months ago.

A wreath was laid at a memorial wall close to the Phuket Island morgue at Mai Khan where up to 3,000 unidentified bodies have lain since the December 26 catastrophe.

The Irish ambassador to Thailand and Malaysia, Dan Mulhall, attended the ceremony with Detective Superintendent John O’Driscoll, the Irish tsunami liaison officer. Detective Superintendent O’Driscoll is in the country for several days to review the ongoing attempts to identify the two remaining Irish tsunami victims.

The men also met with senior officials from the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Centre.

Lucy Coyle, 28, from Killiney in Dublin, has not been found since the tsunami hit Phi-Phi Island last Christmas. Michael Murphy, 23, from Wexford was holidaying at Khao-Lak when the 12-foot wave struck beaches along the southern coast.

Mr Mulhall said: “We were very impressed with what we saw. The DVI Centre is a very elaborate and sophisticated operation which is being run to the highest standards.”

A breakthrough in attempts to find the two remaining Irish bodies has not yet been made, but the Irish ambassador said he was more than hopeful.

“We have been told by forensic scientists at the centre that they will continue operations until every body has been identified. This is very encouraging,” he said.

Hundreds have already been identified through matching DNA samples from family members with that of victims, and also through examining teeth and other physical features of the victims such as height and weight.

The Irish Ambassador also said yesterday that the process of returning non-Thai bodies to their home countries is also taking place much quicker now than in the early weeks following the tidal wave.

In areas such as Khao-Lak, it is estimated that up to 80% of inhabitants lost at least one relative in the disaster.

The bodies of the two other Irish tsunami victims, Eilis Finnegan of Dublin and Conor Keightley of Tyrone, were found in Thailand over a month ago.