HELPING TSUNAMI SURVIVORS ACCESS LEGAL RIGHTS AND BENEFITS
Thailand’s southern coastlines, devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, have been rehabilitated; however, survivors continue to suffer from legal repercussions of the disaster. The Foundation’s groundbreaking Tsunami Rights and Legal Aid Referral Center (T-LAC) helps citizens resolve land disputes, adoptions, inheritance, and missing person disputes. T-LAC is currently assisting hundreds of people living in remote areas who do not possess Thai identification cards. Without an ID, a person cannot access government tsunami benefits or subsidized healthcare; nor can they be legally employed, receive school diplomas, own land, or even open a bank account. In cooperation with the Central Institute of Forensic Science and the Ministries of Interior and Justice, T-LAC provided free DNA testing for more than 700 tsunami survivors to prove their family heritage, thus making it possible for them to receive ID cards and gain access to all of the benefits that flow from establishing their legal identity as Thai citizens.
A GREENER HOTEL INDUSTRY IN POST-TSUNAMI THAILAND
The Green Leaf Foundation (GLF) is a Thai organization that introduced and administers the country’s first environmental auditing system for the Thai hotel industry. When the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 caused substantial damage to many beachside hotels and resorts along the Thai coast, the organization saw an opportunity to create greener hotels. Supported by the Foundation, with funding from the American International Group, Inc. (AIG) Disaster Relief Fund, GLF’s project has encouraged hotels to rebuild their premises in ways that will help mitigate the effects of global warming and future natural disasters. Through a series of workshops held in the coastal Thai provinces of Phuket, Trang, and Krabi, GLF has provided more than 80 hotels with inspiration, advice, and practical assistance on how to introduce energy-saving practices and create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism industry.