December 29, 2004: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Tsunami: Peace Corps: All Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in Thailand Are Safe
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December 29, 2004: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Tsunami: Peace Corps: All Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in Thailand Are Safe
| Peace Corps issues appeal to Thailand RPCVs Peace Corps is currently assessing the situation in Thailand, anticipates a need for volunteers and is making an appeal to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps. Also read this message and this message from RPCVs in Thailand. All PCVs serving in Thailand are safe. Latest: Sri Lanka RPCVs, click here for info. |
All Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in Thailand Are Safe
All Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in Thailand Are Safe
Caption: General view of Ton Sai Bay in Thailand's Phi Phi island, December 28, 2004 after a tsunami hit the area. Nations bordering the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Sri Lanka clawed through the wreckage of a quake-triggered tsunami for bodies to bury on Tuesday as fears grew the toll would exceed the 50,000 now reported killed. REUTERS/Luis Enrique Ascui
All Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in Thailand Are Safe; Agency Responds to Disaster in Eastern Asia
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 29, 2004 -The Peace Corps continues its efforts to ensure the safety of its volunteers serving in Thailand and Eastern Asia following the recent earthquake and tsunami. Director Gaddi H. Vasquez confirmed that all 84 volunteers serving in Thailand have been contacted and are unharmed.
"We are extremely thankful that all 84 volunteers serving in Thailand have been contacted and verified as safe. We had an additional 15 volunteers that were traveling through Thailand during the holiday season from their countries of assignment, and all of them are also confirmed safe," said Director Vasquez.
"At Peace Corps' headquarters and around the world, we mourn the loss of life and devastation resulting from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. We will continue our mission of serving the people of Thailand and Eastern Asia through this difficult time," said Director Vasquez.
Currently, the Peace Corps is assessing the longer term needs in Thailand as a result of this disaster. The agency is developing plans to deploy a number of Crisis Corps volunteers to help the citizens of Thailand in longer term reconstruction projects focused on assisting the hardest hit families, youth, schools and communities.
The Crisis Corps has responded to over 300 natural disasters since its inception in 1996. Crisis Corps volunteers are former Peace Corps volunteers who have completed at least one year of service. Crisis Corps volunteers work on short term projects, usually three to six month assignments, utilizing the skills they learned as Peace Corps volunteers and in post service careers.
Peace Corps staff in Washington remains in constant communication with staff at the post and is coordinating closely with the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to monitor the situation.
If families have questions or concerns, they may contact the Peace Corps' Office of Special Services at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470, or after hours at 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services maintains a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week duty system and may also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.
When this story was posted in December 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:
| The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005. |
| Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia." |
| Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors. |
| The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn. |
| Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying Congressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here. |
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Thailand; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Tsunami
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