Twenty years after Indian Ocean tsunami, Thai ex-fisherman stands at the ready

By Juarawee Kittisilpa

BAN NAM KHEM, Thailand (Reuters) - Banlue Choosin has been monitoring the seas around Thailand's southern Phang Nga province for signs of abnormality for nearly two decades.

The 59-year-old is a former fisherman, and his experience and knowledge of the sea are why his coastal community in Ban Nam Khem village relies on him to monitor nearby waters after earthquakes.

Ban Nam Khem was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami that hit on Boxing Day in 2004, triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province, killing some 230,000 people across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and nine other countries.

Phang Nga was one of Thailand's hardest-hit provinces, with the disaster claiming 5,400 lives there, including many foreign tourists.

"It was like a very, very tall wall of mist, like dust covering the whole area. It filled up the sky as I watched from here," Banlue said, describing the tsunami that swept away his family, killing his mother-in-law.

Following the disaster, Ban Nam Khem, on the Andaman Sea coast, designed and implemented its own local risk mitigation system to prepare for any future tsunami.

That includes a concrete shelter, two alarm systems, clear evacuation routes - and Banlue, a volunteer who closely watches the sea after any regional earthquake and reports back to a provincial government office.

Ban Nam Khem's 2,000 residents have also been encouraged to prepare a "grab bag" containing essential documents for quick evacuation, said Banlue.

Some parts of this system are regularly tested. Every Wednesday morning, for instance, two tsunami alarm systems play the national anthem to check that everything is in order.

Approaching his 60th birthday this Christmas, Banlue is confident in his community's preparedness for a potential tsunami.

"I've been teaching my kids, my grandkids, and my neighbours that we should not be doing whatever we did in the past. First of all, don't just stand and watch it," he said, "Leave in a calm manner."

(Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Ros Russell)