Thailand Peace Corps Country Director Ginny Kirkwood loses Thai property



Thailand Peace Corps Country Director Ginny Kirkwood loses Thai property

Shawnee Inn family loses Thai property

By Susan Koomar
The Pocono Record
Pocono, N.Y.
December 31, 2004

Peter Kirkwood's tropical paradise is ruined.

Thousands of people are dead on Phuket, the Thai island where he lives.

The half-million-dollar vacation homes Kirkwood develops are now disaster shelters. Friends are using Kirkwood's pickup truck to drive tsunami victims for medical treatment.

"This is a place I know and love," said Kirkwood, son of Charlie and Ginny Kirkwood of Shawnee-on-Delaware.

Kirkwood, 34, was en route from the Poconos to Colorado for a family vacation when he heard about the giant wave that ravaged his village, Kamala.

"When I got on the plane, all I knew was there had been a tidal wave," he said. "All my worst fears were realized. I couldn't have imagined the destruction. They tell me half the village is swamped."

The home he shares with wife, Elizabeth, was spared, but so much else is gone.

"They tell me the water stopped about 100 feet from our house," Kirkwood said. "To see streets I drive down, buildings I go into destroyed before my eyes is indescribable, so shocking."

He calls Phuket a world-famous tourist destination and everything the image of a tropical island conjures: beaches, exotic food and friendly natives.

"The Thai people are incredibly warm and welcoming. It's just a great place," said Kirkwood. "That makes it all the more tragic."

The island, developed with five-star resorts and beach bungalows, isn't primitive, Kirkwood said. It has an international airport and bridge to the mainland.

It's even similar to his family's domain, the Poconos.

"This is an island that's dependent on tourism," he said.

Kirkwood was born in Thailand, where his father practiced law from 1965-72. A few years later, his family bought Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, which suffered first-floor flooding after Hurricane Ivan in October. The inn reopened within a week.

Kirkwood and his wife are environmental lawyers who came home for the holidays before the catastrophe in Asia.

His first reaction was to rush back, but that would take days - and what would he do when he got there?

Instead, Kirkwood is establishing an Internet site to raise money for relief efforts. He and his wife will leave for Thailand this weekend and expect to return to Phuket by Friday.

"I personally am going to take (the money we raise) and make sure it's used in the most effective way possible," Kirkwood said. "Do we need to truck in water? Do we need to build shelters? Do we need to take care of bodies?"

Thailand is special to the Kirkwoods, where matriarch Ginny was director of the Peace Corps from 1990-93.

Peter Kirkwood is confident Phuket will survive.

"It's a resilient place. We're going to see it through this crisis," he said.

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

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.

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January 1, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Lesotho RPCV starts "Touching Tiny Lives" 1 Jan Guatemala RPCV was grassroots veterinarian 31 Dec Reginald Hodges will head Durham Literacy Center 30 Dec Ed Seidel is Director of Marine Resources Aquarium 30 Dec PC wants happy, shiny faces without felony convictions 29 Dec Newspaper says PC could go to India and Indonesia 29 Dec Tom Johnson choses to spend Christmas in Sierra Leone 28 Dec Barry Rosen helps compile textbooks for Afghanistan 28 Dec Dorinda Dove learned to appreciate midwifery in Africa 28 Dec RPCVs host Exhibition at University of Rochester 28 Dec Mike Tidwell calls on Sierra Club Official to step down 28 Dec RPCV says we can express patriotism as we see fit 26 Dec more top stories...

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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.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

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."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

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.

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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.

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By Anonymous (lists.decs.sa.edu.au - 203.122.254.24) on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - 8:39 pm: Edit Post

I think the tsunami was sad