Thai survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, reflect on loss and recovery. Over 220,000 people were killed in over a dozen countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand among the worst hit.
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00:00Each morning in Banga, southern Thailand, fisherman Biran Glataleh gathers his gear
00:08for his daily catch, earning a living from the waters that took his parents' life.
00:13Glataleh was orphaned in 2004 by the Indian Ocean 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami,
00:21one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, which claimed more than
00:26220,000 lives in over a dozen countries.
00:30Glataleh was just 8 years old.
00:46Along with some neighbors, Glataleh climbed to higher ground, but his parents did not
00:51make it.
00:53And there were many more like him who were orphaned.
00:55According to the United Nations, between 1,000 and 2,000 children in Thailand lost at least
01:02one parent to the tsunami.
01:05The country's southern beaches were among the worst hit, seeing more than 5,000 people
01:10killed, around half of them foreign tourists.
01:14Another 3,000 people remain missing.
01:17Watanah Sittirashot's uncle was one of the people never found.
01:22He had cared for Sittirashot since his parents' divorce.
01:25After losing his uncle, Sittirashot became one of the first residents of this home, founded
01:31by two social workers for tsunami orphans.
01:34Now he's the secretary-general and has helped expand care to over 90 children without primary
01:41caregivers.
01:42No one is with us all the time.
01:44We have to move forward.
01:46We can't fix what's lost.
01:48We have to move forward.
01:50Fisherman Glataleh has spent the last 20 years rebuilding his love for the sea.
01:56It still reminds him of loss, but he says the water has also cared for him, giving him
02:02food to eat and a means to earn a living.
02:05His outlook has also taught his wife, Janjira Kampradit, to live each day to the fullest.
02:11Life is uncertain.
02:13We have to do our best.
02:15Doing our best helps a lot of people.
02:19If we don't do our best, our lives will be short.
02:2420 years on, the devastation and grief from the Indian Ocean tsunami remain deep among
02:30survivors here in Thailand, holding on to memories of loved ones as they embrace life
02:36moving forward.
02:38Patrick Chen and Joyce Sin for Taiwan Plus.
02:41For more UN videos visit www.un.org