Khao Lak 2004 Blog

A contract was signed today. I am now officially helping RSOS with a report on the search effort in Khao Lak. This will make it much easier to obtain the data from SRV. Now they must give me the data I ask for becouse I am working for the athorities! At last I will have the oppertunity to have a look at the SRV maps!

Hi everybody!

NEW PDF MAP UPDATE
There is a new map update ready for download. It contains many changes.
* One big error was found by Heinrich, the Similana Resort on the Pakweeb beach is moved further south a little bit, to just north of the Sarojin. That also means there is a new Unknown area on the map. So if anyone got a clue on what that could be.
* The PDF map now has a GPS grid. I got it from the Norwegian police. (Thanks!)
* From the same source, I also got a interesting information on how far up the land the water reached. Its marked on the map as a dotted line (PDF map only).
* As the PDF map has a new grid, it means the coordinates of the hotels are updated and corrected accordingly. It also means that the scale was adjusted a little.
* A few small errors was corrected on the PDF map. Some roads where missing etc.
* The PDF map now has a legend.
* The credits are updated.

ERRORS
The Norwegian police source says there is some differences between this map and the data that Norwegian and Swedish authorities has obtained. I am looking into this and are working on a public list of my sources and hope that the authorities will share their sources too.

SHARE THE WEBSITE
If you know a forum where you think there is people that would be interested in the map… feel free to make a link to here.

WHATS ELSE
Many people has contacted me and being very glad to have found this map. The positive feedback means a lot to me. I assure you! I also has ongoing dialogue with some of you on the position of several resorts. Keep it up! I need all help I can get!

I KNOW I had more on my mind… but but… I will probably wake up tonight, slapping my forehead when I remember it!

Sincerely
Axel von Matern

It is strange. One never thought one would come to this. You see, I am talking to my dead friend, often when riding my Vespa back from work. And even more strange… I am comforted from those chats. She tells me to be cool.

Today I got one of all those helpfull mails from Heinrich. He is keeping me updated on all errors and new resors on the map. This time I got the heads up on the wrong location of Similana Resort on Pakeeb Beach in the northern parts. I want to take this oppertunity to thank you for all your help! This map would have been nothing without you!

Thanks for all the help, Heinrich!

Today I police man from Norway called. He asked me why I was doing the map, and when I told he that it was becouse there is no map, he just said “Thats the right thing to do.”

After all this time, trying to get help from Swedish athorities. I get a call from the athorities in Norway!

We agree on helping each other. Exactely what this means, I dont have a clue! But I am sure its a good thing and we shall see where this can lead.

Hi everybody!

This is the first newsletter from me. It’s just a short note on me and the status of the project.

OLD DATA FROM NORWAY AND NO DATA FROM SWEDEN
I have been trying to get the Swedish authority (Räddningsverket) to help me out with the map. But they have not been so helpful. Today a (very nice) man from the police in Norway called and gave me alot of information about the Khao Lak area. Unfortunately it was data from late april and there was a lot of missing resorts and a lot of errors.

NEW PDF-MAP VERSION
Two days ago I posted a new PDF map. It got small fixes:
- added the forgotten scale and north pointer
- corrected the texts
- typographic changes

NEW ENLARGED SATELLITE MAPS
- the enlarged satellite view now covers all beaches.

———————————————
INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCING MYSELF
I want to tell you a little about myself, just so you know. My name is Axel von Matern. I am 39 years and live in Stockholm, Sweden. I am married and got two children (got a boy about a month ago. I am working with graphic design and have my own one man company in Stockholm City.

Sometimes I can get through a bit rough in mail. Please bare with me. And mail me if you think I am rude or something! It is very hard things we are dealing with here and I need you to be frank with me so I can correct any mistakes.

ABOUT THE LIST
I will write mostly in english, even tho I am not so good at it. The Khao Lak list started a few days ago and has 13 members today. And we are from Sweden, Germany, Denmark, France, Thailand and unknown country. Most of us lost some loved one in Khao Lak. A family member or a friend… In my case it was a woman I once lived with and until this day still love.

PRIVACY AND MONEY
As this is a project where pictures and texts is ment to be published in some way or another everybody should be very clear about when you share something that is ment to be private.

This project is NOT ment to make any money. If there is a situation where money gets involved, you will all get the information and say about it.

Sincerely

Axel von Matérn
TWEED

Today I got a mail from Swedish Rescue Services Agency, where they stated that:

“we can not share the data we got. All data is collected during a crisis and we first need to check copy right matters before we can share….”

I called him. And I told him that I only was interested in what resort they had identified and their location. How can there be a copyright on the location of certain buildings? And could he not understand that there was still a crisis situation for many people? But he could not help me. I asked for a list of coordinats, and he promised to send that to me asap.

I called his boss who where in Geneva in business. When insisting on the importance of getting a correct map before the summer vacation, when many people possibly would travel to Khao Lak, he said that that was not his problem. But he promised to see what he could do.

Someone tells me that SRV got copyright problems of their own. That the map software licence is not payed for. That could be the answer on why they dont want to help me out on this simple matter?