Thais launch hunt for tsunami memorial design

Thailand launched a worldwide search on Wednesday for the best design for a memorial to the more than 5,300 people who died on its shores in the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The “Tsunami Memorial International Competition” is open to architects, designers and artists from Thailand and overseas to demonstrate the spirit of cooperation among all those affected by the Dec. 26 tragedy, organizers said.

“It should not be just a memorial to the dead and the horror of December’s natural disaster, but also a monument to the living, to the friendship and humanity that was demonstrated by all,” Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said.

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A Thai and international jury panel will select five finalists from proposals submitted by December. These five will then be developed with the help of Thai architects.

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The winning design for the memorial, which will be built in a national park on Khao Lak, the picture-postcard beachfront which bore the brunt of the killer waves, will be announced in May 2006.

The tsunami killed 5,395 people in Thailand, of whom roughly half were foreigners — mostly European holidaymakers. Overall, the toll of missing and dead is 232,010 in 13 countries around the Indian Ocean.