Two kilometres inland
Carried here by the waves.
Electrostatico [1] — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Sgroey — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Khao Lak Ausflüge — CC BY-SA 4.0
On the morning of 26 December 2004 a massive tsunami struck the Khao Lak coast, the hardest-hit area in Thailand, where thousands of residents and visitors lost their lives. Among the most telling witnesses to the disaster is a marine police patrol boat numbered 813, moored offshore to guard a resort where a member of the royal family was staying, which the waves carried some two kilometres inland until it came to rest among houses and trees. The government decided to leave the boat where it landed as a memorial, and today it stands in a small park beside the main road, raised on a platform, so visitors can grasp its size and the power of the water that carried it so far. Beside it are panels explaining what happened and a small exhibition of photographs and testimony. Visiting is free and always possible. It is a place of reflection and respect, so keep quiet. May to October is the Andaman rainy season, when the sea is rough and some beaches and islands close. A short, moving stop in Bang Niang, close to the market and beaches, usually combined with the Ban Nam Khem memorial to the north. It helps older children understand the evacuation signs seen along the coast.
Carried here by the waves.
Photos and testimony.
Remembering 2004.
Bang Niang, on Highway 4, Khao Lak
Yes: an early-warning system, alarm towers and evacuation signs have lined the coast since 2004. Learn the evacuation route from your hotel.