Asian Tsunami just got personal for eBid Old Guard

[gazlannathai]

Hi All

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, just discovered the following...

Many of you, over the last 2 years, have bought handmade paper, and products made from it, from my listings. Some of you have also received one-off items made from it, as gifts, from time to time.

Today, following a request from an eBid member, I had to go out to the paper village because the city-centre showroom has been closed since Christmas. At the village I was met by "Grandpa" who was extremely drunk and has been so for 2 weeks now. It was impossible to get any sense from him and eventually I found one of the other older women whose English was enough to make sense of my Thai.

Miss Dtoy, was the first girl from the village to complete high school, and the first person from the village to attend university. She double-majored in Arts Design and in Materials Science, and took Business Admin as a secondary subject. The whole village had to contribute for the four years it took her to graduate, after which she was the driving force behind the Saa Paper industry in her village. She was the main designer and ran the business on behalf of the village, building up both domestic and export sales until it became the village's main income.
Two years ago, her eldest child and only daughter entered Chiangmai University, paid for from the business - Both Dtoy and Nong studied in one of the faculties at which I taught for three years until last January - Business Admin.

On Boxing Day, Dtoy, Nong, and Dtoy's French fiancee Didi were on Phuket for the first holiday together in five years. Didi had gone scuba diving, Dtoy and Nong were having breakfast on the beach. Then the wave struck.
The dive company say that Didi was amongst a dozen divers who never resurfaced. The hotel say Dtoy & Nong's bodies have not been recovered - they are amongst the thousands of missing in Thailand.

Everyone in the village is devatated - a simple mountain village 750 Km from the nearest coastline has lost three people vital to it's economy, on a beach 1,800 Km away. Many from the village have never been to Chiangmai city less than 50Km away. They have no comprehension of the distance to the coast.

The village now has no-one capable of running the showroom - mainly a lack of business skills, but also competance and confidence in non-Thai languages. The export business is at a complete standstill as Dtoy and Didi ran that side of things, and general production at the village has virtually stopped due to lack of production management - they don't know what is needed to fulfil orders.

I've spent most of the afternoon trying to find someone who can temporarily assist in getting the village moving again, and someone to man the showroom. I took one of the workers to the Provincial Hall Labour Office so they could post job adverts for skilled and qualified staff, which all the village hope will only be needed temporarily - sadly, they still hope Dtoy, Nong & Didi will be returning. Only Grandpa seems to have accepted the reality. Dtoy's youngest child is only 3, and stayed in the village as he doesn't like flying.

Because of this tragedy, I would like everyone to understand that there may be delays in shipping Saa Paper products other than the mixed sheet sample packs. Until management staff can be found, I have to personally instruct the villagers in the designs of items ordered. I don't want to pull the listings because the village is now at such a loss that every order is vital to their incomes - I hope everyone will bear with them (and me) concerning this.

Just as Phuket needs tourists to maintain employment and rebuild, so many villages a long way inland need continued sales of their products in order to maintain their existence. The same will be true in every country affected, but this one is personal as I have assisted them for almost two years now.

Dtoy, Didi, and Nong bring to 6, the total number of friends and personal acquaintances I have lost to the tsunami. This loss is made worse , not only by their importance to the village, but also in that Dtoy was one of the few Thais with whom I could discuss politics and business in-depth. She also had a very similar sense of humour to me.

I miss her deeply, and type this with tears on my cheeks, tears that I was unable to show the villagers lest they lost hope.

Gaz

[mrscheeks]

Oh Gaz, my heart goes out to you and everyone who has been tragically affected by this.

I will be putting a forum on my site promoting my online auctions at eBid. Could I put this post in it too to let people know the immediate effect on everyone's lives this disaster has had .. and to also let them know how they can help by continuing to buy the goods they produce?

Hugs to you hun,

Vik xxx

[pid2000]

My thoughts go out to you and those you have lost.
pid

[emma5721]

that is so very sad gary

can't begin to imagine what it must be like
take good care

[minkyrra]

oh garry, sorry to hear such sad news

thinking of you

take care

bel

[rainbowcraft]

That is so very sad. My thoughts are with you.

Txx

[shelleywelley]

That is really sad news. I have some of those bags here, looking at them its so hard to comprehend just how vital a part they play in peoples lives

(((garry)))

[traceymole]

ohhhh gaz im so sorry,awful news


sending you pm, re last pm

trace xx

[MadcatwomanEnterprises]

Terrible news, Gaz, and I hope you can get someone running the showroom soon. I'm sure they are very sadly missed.

[gazlannathai]

Many thanks to all

Mrs Cheeks - go ahead

Today I'm off hunting down any NGO reps remaining in the city (most have gone south to help on the islands) and I'm going to try to get a volunteer from them to go stay at the village for a few weeks and help get them organised there.

Then it's into the UNiversity to see if I can find a 3rd year undergrad from Business Admin who hasn't got their "summer" work placement organised yet (academic year ends early Feb), and get them placed into the showroom until someone more permanent can be found.

After that I want to clear as much of my own stuff as possible as I want to go back out to the village tomorrow. I also have to go to P'Tong's village tomorrow to collect a batch of cuddly toys she's been making for Valentine's Day - hope everyone there's OK - I've not seen them since before Christmas, although I doubt anyone from there went south as most of them are not allowed to travel outside of this province - it's an ID and nationality restriction from the government.

One aspect that's truly upsetting is that the showroom was really starting to become successful, and most of the stock for what I sell was being held there to save me riding up to the village every other day (the police roadchecks were getting a bit thick on the ground and it gets tedious to explain the purpose of your journey every ten miles on the back roads - the village is on the edge of the "borderlands" and they're sensitive about foreigners being up there).

Special thanks to Traceymole - I won't say why, only that I'll do what you asked.

Updates later
Gaz