Posted by Tim on January 04, 2005 at 18:14:33:
I got this off the Coral List Serve and thought the members of this list would be interested.
Hello, Listers,
This is from a liveaboard dive boat based in Thailand. Sorry about the length, I didn't want to edit.
CBS NEWS DISTORTION
To those of you who saw Ocean Rover in the CBS News report about coral
damage: do not believe what they are telling you! We are furious at CBS. One of their producers contacted us and asked if we could help them get to the Similan Islands to report on coral damage. They assured us the piece would be “fair & balanced”.
We did everything we could to assist the CBS news team and they spend half a day filming and interviewing people on board Ocean Rover. One of our clients kindly gave them his underwater video footage for use during the broadcast. CBS promised our client that his footage would be used in a responsible manner.
Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: “it looked like a giant sandblaster was used”. Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the “sandblast” soundbite and hardly anything else. Footage was also arranged in a “before & after” method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful “before” footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami.
Somehow the media just cannot help themselves and turn everything into a gloom & doom story. CBS should be ashamed of what they did here. We have talked to their producer since but of course she blames the New York editor. This is the way the media works. The way the news piece came out is 100% the opposite of what was promised to us. We urge fellow dive operators to be very careful in dealing with the media. These people do not let scruples get in the way of a juicy story. Shameful!
The CBS piece is damaging to our reputation and business. It paints the wrong picture about the true level of coral damage in the Similans AND it makes our own website reports look like lies. All we can say is when you dive with us, you trust us with your lives. When you read our website, you can trust us to be truthful.
SITUATION IN PHUKET
As the Indian Ocean Region slowly stabilizes it appears that Thailand, thanks to a more developed infrastructure, is able to recover from the disaster faster than placers such as Sumatra and Sri Lanka, which have the highest numbers of casualties. But in Thailand too there are countless human tragedies, people who lost their loved ones, their homes and their businesses. Still, everyone speaks of pulling together, rebuilding and surviving.
Phuket, though hard hit on her west-coast beaches, is in better shape than Kao Lak and Pi-Pi islands and the clean-up is well underway. Patong Beach celebrated New Year's Eve in subdued fashion with a memorial service near the beach. In Phuket and Kao Lak, emergency relief aid is now in place with no immediate need for further shipments. In spite of the overwhelming events, people realize they have to pick up the pieces and get their lives and businesses back on track.
Those who call this callous fail to see that last thing Phuket needs right now is an economic meltdown caused by tourists staying away as a result of inaccurate news coverage. Thousands of ordinary Thais are employed in the resorts that are now damaged and closed. Mass cancellations would destroy what is left of the island’s fragile economy. If you are booked for a Thailand holiday, please do not cancel.
There are many exaggerated news stories about the situation in Phuket. Reports about disease, contamination, water and food shortages and even “widespread looting” are totally incorrect. TV footage of the horrific events of 26 December is repeated over and over but meanwhile a lot has happened that is not shown on TV. Everyone is working hard to return to some sort of normalcy and tourists are beginning to reappear on the beaches. Oddly, the beaches look like they did 20 years ago: white clean sand and calm seas. Mr Watchara Apornsiri, Director of the Royal Phuket Irrigation Project and a Phuket native declared that the sea water at Phuket's beaches is clean, uncontaminated and safe for swimming.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We have received hundreds of messages of support and we are touched by everyone's concern. Many of you have expressed a wish to contribute money but worry that their contribution will simply be absorbed into machinery of some mega aid agency. People want to be certain their donation reaches those who really need it.
There are several reputable organizations in Phuket setting up relief funds. One such organization is the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. The fund aims to supply immediate as well as long-term financial aid (e.g.
scholarships) for children who lost their parents in the tsunami. You can make a donation on-line at www.rotarypatong.org http://www.rotarypatong.org/.
Similar accounts are being set up by other clubs and individuals. More details as we learn them. No matter which fund you support, make sure you supply your details so you can be kept informed about what was done with your kind donation.