Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) - full transcript

You were talking
in your sleep, Than.

If my house
is still there...

Come with me.

It's safe to go back down now.
I need your help.

Maybe tomorrow.

Do you want some apple?

There you go.

It's nice.

Well, at least
she's eating something today.

Where is my mummy?

Do you want...



to finish up your milk?

"Pomme" is apple.

It's apple.

The Swedish father
of three last saw

his youngest son
being carried away

after the giant wave devastated
the bay at Khao Lak on Boxing Day.

The reunion was
a very emotional occasion

for all concerned.

Even journalists
were moved to tears.

Found trapped under debris
by Thai villagers

two miles in
from where the wave first hit...

I thought we were
going to stay here today?

What about Martha?

You don't think Eve's mother
is looking for her?



We haven't
heard anything.

That doesn't mean she doesn't
have family looking for her.

Well, they know
where to find us.

We have
a daughter.

We have
to take her back.

It's chaos out there.

There are...

three temples...

four hospitals.

We have to keep checking--
for Christ's sakes, Susan!

Someone needs
to stay with Eve.

And what about Martha?

Who's looking
after Martha?

You lost her, you find her.
She's dead.

If that makes
you feel better

about taking
somebody else's child--

Well, at--

at least I'm not digging
in the sand-- looking for what?

Do you think she'd
hold onto a tree?

Do you think Martha would
hold onto a fucking tree?

My baby?

She's dead.

You keep digging
in the sand, my love,

if that's what you want
to do with your hands

but I don't want
to see my baby dead.

Ian.

Khao Lak?

- Khao Lak?
- Yes.

Than?

This is...?

My village.

Live there.
Keep boat here.

Where is
everybody?

- All gone.
- But your family?

Oh God.

I'm sorry.

His family
up in the hill.

They too frightened
to come down.

And your little girl?

No.

Not yet.

- I found my wife.
- Good good. Wife good.

Okay.

We burn them
to free the soul.

Oh shit.
Oh-- oh shit.

You're not angry.

You lost your whole family,
you're not angry?

Not what I want.

How it is.

My family gone.

- I try to keep my land.
- What do you mean?

Every morning
when I wake up here,

I see this.

Other men see it too.

What are they doing?

Hey! Hey!

Wait, Ian.
Ian.

Hey-- hey.

My daughter
could be under there.

He's worried about
his daughter.

Body all gone.
Go temple.

No no.
She's not dead.

- They can't do this.
- No one come and stop them.

There has to be
a mistake.

There must be-- I'll get someone.
It's a mistake.

You're not listening to me.

I'm trying to get through
to the British Embassy.

I want my son
evacuated to the U.K.

where he can receive
specialized medical care.

Maybe not strong enough
to journey.

No--

No, I'm-- I'm going
to find somebody.

They want
to amputate his leg.

Look, James worked
for you for years, now--

our travel--?

No. No, there are
no papers.

I have nothing.

You don't understand
what it's like out here.

We were given a few hundred baht
and a toothbrush.

We've lost everything.

Please, I'm begging you.

That's too late.

I'll try
the embassy again.

Yeah, they want to transfer him
in the next couple of hours.

Bye.

I think
I found Dad.

It's a website
with photos.

I think it's Dad.

He looks...

it's a temple,
about half an hour away.

- We don't-- we don't have time.
- Half an hour.

It will take
half an hour.

Okay.

There are more NGOs
out here than news crews.

I'm watching the TV.

I've seen the donations
pouring in,

but it could be weeks before
the money filters through.

I know our remit is education
but I can't just sit around

when the very basics aren't getting to
these families.

I'm talking food,
water, mosquito nets.

I'm just asking that you reassign some
funds.

No, it can't wait.

Why is it that the supermarkets in
Phuket are teeming

with everything
these people need?

I can order
lobster in my hotel.

Room service could get aid
to these people faster.

We're working
with the local authorities

to get the infrastructure up
and running again as soon as possible.

Still no rapid
deployment team?

We're drafting in
as many volunteers with special skills

as we can from the U.K.
and elsewhere.

I'm in constant contact
with London and other colleagues.

And I'm confident
that we'll have

a significant presence
by the end of the week.

However, we're all aware
of the scale of this disaster.

There are other countries--
Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India--

that are going
to need help,

both now and in the future.
Okay, thank you.

They're... they're clearing
land in Khao Lak.

- Yes, I heard that.
- Why aren't they still searching

- for people?
- Well, I think it's fair

- that they've recovered the bodies.
- My-- my daughter

could be stuck under debris,
lying injured in a ditch somewhere.

The likelihood of finding
any more survivors is slim.

If you haven't found
your daughter by now...

I'm sorry. That was--
I'm so sorry.

What do I do now?

Oh Christ.

Hey, Tony?

I need someone to sign off
on some paperwork for me.

If you could apply
a little diplomatic pressure,

there's crates of supplies
just sitting in a flight hangar

because the NGOs
are still in a meeting

to arrange a meeting
about a meeting.

And I need to get my hands on them
and get out there as soon as possible.

Kathy, there's a protocol
to these situations.

Screw the protocol.

You haven't been
in this situation before.

I can't be sidetracked.
My brief is to help British Nationals.

You ever heard
of the global village?

I'm doing
the best I can.

Yeah well,
do better!

There are 60 ski suits and 200 tins
of baked beans in my office.

If you think they'll be helpful
to someone, please take them.

The Nordic Rotary Club
and Rotherham Scouts

will be most reassured
to know

that their donations have been
put to good use.

For most of us, this was
the holiday of our dreams.

- I've lost my fianc?.
- I'm so sorry.

On behalf
of S.Q.A. Hotels,

I can only
offer our deepest condolences

and reiterate
my colleague's statement.

We've been helping
those who need to fly home,

and liaising
with the relevant authorities.

But we're not looking
at individual cases at the moment.

No one-- no one could have
known a tsunami was coming.

And as such, whilst
our sympathies lie with the families,

we're doing all we can based
on the information that we have so far.

This just isn't good enough.

What are you going to do?

Where possible, we will be
offering alternative accommodation

in our hotels
not affected by the tsunami

for those who wish
to resume their holiday.

You think we want
to go on holiday now?

I lost my son here.

- Well, that was classy.
- Don't quote me on it, please.

That's a red rag
to a bull.

They're looking
for somebody to take responsibility.

Who do they
want to blame? God?

Earthquakes don't
just happen, do they?

People monitor these things. There are
warnings. There are rumblings, right?

- That's volcanoes.
- Ah.

Why do you think the palm trees
are still standing--

when all the hotels
and chalets are just gone

like they were
barely even there.

I don't know.
They were built before my time.

And why are
you shaking?

Ellen.

- What?
- I'm watching you.

Haven't you got a wife
who's missing you or something?

Yeah, too much.

She wants me home.

Oh no.

No, Chai, no.

You don't need me. Rami or one
of the other guys can get you the shots.

No no, this isn't done yet.
Remember that guy at the hotel?

We saw him at the hotel
the day after we arrived.

I recognized him
from press junkets and stuff.

He's an earthquake guy.
He's a seismologist.

Right.

- Simone, East Asia Press.
- Simone.

Wait wait.

Simone, could you run a check
for me on a Dr. Pravat Meeko?

Sure.

P-r-a-v-a-t

M-e-e-k-o.

Ladies, and gentlemen
of the press--

Yeah, I'll hold.

I run an education program
through a charity.

We're working with over 600
Thai children in this province.

So far I've been able
to track 49 of them.

Unfortunately the aid that could be
helping is not getting through.

There are Thai people up in the hills
who still need the basics.

They can't go back to their villages
because the clear-up hasn't got to them.

So please, come with me.
I'll show you.

No no. No.

I got something
bigger than that.

It better be worth it, Nick.

- Nick...
- Yeah?

Okay, Dr. Pravat Meeko, former head
of Thailand's Meteorology Department...

What's he doing now?

After 25 years as one of Thailand's
foremost ministers,

Dr. Meeko took the post

of Deputy Director
of Public Records in 1996.

That's a graveyard posting.

What the fuck did he do
to get dumped there?

Love, why don't you
go and wait for me?

I don't want you
to have to see--

Adam, no--

Oh God.

It's Dad.

What are they?

Poisson.

What are they?

Oh...

Little fishes.

Do you want
some of your drink?

Bubbles.

Bulles.

Bubbles.

Bulles.

Open your mouth.

Now these people
are actually from the coast,

and they've lost
their homes.

Maybe you guys can help
shame the powers-that-be,

into extending their clear-up
beyond the tourist resorts

so they can get back
to their land.

Come on up.
Just introduce yourselves.

They won't bite.

- Nice photo.
- Uh-huh.

We're missing
the story, Nick.

Yeah well, let someone else
deal with it.

Here we go.

"Bangkok Express,
February 12, 1996.

A false alarm about a tsunami
hitting the west coast of Thailand

led to mass panic
and the departure of many families

from their coastal homes."

He made some kind
of recommendation in '96.

Where is it?

Where is it?

Whatever he said,
it's not going to be on the net.

What's the Deputy Director
of Public Records doing in Phuket, eh?

- Smiling and saying "I told you so."
- Yeah.

Where are
we going?

- Tell her I'll call her back.
- Simone.

Sorry.

Dr. Meeko?

Nick Fraser.

I covered a couple
of your department's press junkets

back when you worked
for the government.

I'm having a little trouble
getting ahold of your report,

the one where you predicted
a tsunami would hit Thailand,

devastating
the Andaman Coast.

What did your recommendation say,
Dr. Meeko?

And why are you meeting
with the very man

the government chose
to replace you--

Dr. Boonma Polsak?

What matters to me
is next time.

Next time?

Things might
be different.

Dr. Meeko--

I was up
in Khao Lak

just after it happened,
and I saw things...

I hope I never
see again.

Are you saying
there'll be a next time?

Here.

This is where
I'm staying.

Mr. Whittaker, this is--
this is Kim Peabody.

I managed to track down
your mobile number.

I've-- I've called
your office several times.

It's my son, you see.

He's struggling
for his life.

I need my son medevaced
to the U.K. now.

What does your
consultant say?

That they want
to amputate his leg.

I really believe
under U.K. care

I wouldn't be forced
to make the kind of decisions

that I am being asked
to make here.

Phuket Hospital
is highly respected.

It has some of the best
medical teams in Thailand.

Four days and I've
been calling,

and I've been asking
for this flight for four days.

The good news is London has just okayed
a fairly comprehensive care program

for those without travel insurance.
Did you have any?

I don't know!

I don't know--
my husband did all of that.

You see, it really only applies
to those without insurance.

No, Mr. Whittaker,
I-I--

look, right now, you know,
I'm without anything.

I have a phone card
and a toothbrush.

- Perhaps family in the U.K. could--
- My mother, but she's elderly.

James was my family.

Look, now listen,

I came here with my husband
and two children.

I have lost my husband,

I will not lose
my son as well.

I'll come
and see you now.

Mark,
about Mrs. Peabody,

she's asking for immediate evacuation
for her and her son. He could die.

Yes, I know--
I know that,

but he'll need
a medical team on the flight.

I've told her
I'll visit her tonight.

No no, I think we
should do something now.

Right.

Right, okay.

- What?
- We've got a meeting in 10 minutes,

temporary
mortuary facilities.

Fuck. Fuck.

Um, I'll be back.
I'll be back.

Thank you.

I didn't mean
to disturb you.

I'm Tony
Whittaker.

Yeah, Mom said
you were never coming.

This is very bad. Very bad.
I'm so sorry--

If you're so sorry, why can't you
get him home?

- If he dies--
- Adam.

Mrs. Peabody...

- please have a chair.
- No no. I've been sitting all day.

Have you got
John his flight?

I am working
on it.

- I'm confident we can do something.
- When?

Tomorrow night
at the latest.

Tomorrow night.

All right,
I shall hold you to that.

It's good to hear
your voice, Dad.

Tell Mom...

tell her we'll
be home soon.

All right?

- Where are you staying?
- This place just above Phuket.

Bit of a trek
from the beach, isn't it?

Yeah,
that's the idea.

Did you see that--
that guy

got his kid
today?

- Swedish.
- Yeah yeah.

How great
must that be?

Yeah.

I keep thinking if I just look
a few more yards,

you know, if I--
if I just check one more list.

Wouldn't that be something
if she just was...?

You know,
so you keep looking.

You keep looking,
and you go back to the same hospitals

and the same temples
and the same lists.

And every day there
are less and less

new people
coming in,

but you
can't give up.

You know, I can't give up.
Would you?

Would you?

No, if it was me,
I'd look.

And I'd look again.

But if I was honest
with myself...

I was in this
village today

just beyond
Khao Lak.

This guy--
he's all that's left of his village.

Ban Kaw Tai.
It's called Ban Kaw Tai.

It's completely
wiped out.

You know, and he's--
he's working all day

on this crappy
little shelter,

like his-- like his
life depended on it,

and a water hole.

He's watching these
big fuck-off bulldozers

coming closer
and closer,

and he thinks
they're...

they're after
his land.

What?

And maybe somewhere...

they're just going
to build right over them.

Who?

Who's going to build
right over them?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Get up.

Oh shit.

Hi.

Hi.

You stink.

It has
been said.

Are you drunk?

No.

Buddha.

Picked up backpacking
with your friends when you were 18.

- You are drunk.
- No, I'm not.

This is a tragedy.

Run-on lists.

Put them down.

You checking
your numbers...

your stats?

All those
drowned guests.

They're clearing land ready
to rebuild, all along Khao Lak.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

Barely been a week...
and they're flattening land.

The villagers think
they're going to steal it off them.

- You should get some sleep.
- Who's doing it, Ellen?

- I don't know.
- You sure?

- Yeah.
- Really?

Mm-hmm.

'Cause it's really
beautiful there.

It's not hard to imagine someone
wanting to build on it.

- Stop it.
- What?

Stop it.

Well, I'm sorry.

Force of habit.

- Just looking for a place to lie.
- Nick--

I'm sharing a room
with a farting creature

who hogs the shower,
snores like a tractor.

He's not fucked up.

He's a good guy.

He's got this baby,
must be what...?

I don't know how old he is,
but I never asked.

He's about this big.

And he talks to it.

He calls in to speak
to his wife every day,

and at the end he talks
this gobbledygook to this...

...baby.

What is it that makes
men so fucking nuts...

about their kids?
And then I think,

my dad did that
to me, once;

held me
in his hands,

looked down at me,
saw a tiny little piece of him.

How'd you
get here, Ellen?

Backpacking.
I was 21.

And I fell in love
with the country.

I got to know
the coastline.

I got what I needed
to get this job.

Got more experience.

Came back
and I never left.

- It gets under your skin.
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Something like that.

No, I-- I can't wait. I need
to speak to Mr. Whittaker now.

My son is going to die.

When will he be back?

Tell him
to call me, please.

Mom?

I just-- need a few
more minutes.

- John's going to die.
- Darling, he-- he's not going to die.

He's not going to die.
I'm not going to let that happen.

I'll make the right
decision for him.

I want Dad.

Yeah...

yeah, me too.

He'll hate us.

He'll know we did it
to save his life.

He'll hate me.

He won't, darling.

It'll save his life.

Lizard.

Lizard.

Can you say that?

They're taking swabs...

at a couple
of the temples.

For DNA,

to help identify
the bodies.

We need to do that...

if Martha's not
coming back...

if she's dead.

I was calling home
last night when I saw you.

I just needed to hear
someone's voice.

I just needed
to hear...

something familiar,

something that
hadn't changed.

And I was watching
you with her and...

I wanted her
to be Martha so badly.

But she's not.

And we have to
take her back now.

A lizard.

I'll get her things.

France?

Um, parlez anglais?

She'll be fine.

Just five more
minutes.

There's nothing more
we can do.

I just need to know
she's okay.

I'm not leaving
till I know she's all right.

Excusez-moi, monsieur!

No, you're all right.
Thanks, though.

- Do you speak English?
- Yes.

Oh, beauty.

Are we here?

Maybe...

here.

- I bring gifts.
- Thank you.

From the clean-up team?

No, but it looks
like your lot lured 'em up.

Some days I think
this is the only thing

- keeping that piece of crap alive.
- What's one up from here?

Um, mainly fishing villages.

Is it true they're grabbing
land from the villagers?

Oh, it wouldn't
surprise me.

There's probably about
25 villages up and down this coastline

who at one time or another
had developers knocking on their door.

This one's the frontline.
This one's right next door to paradise.

Everyone wants
a piece of it.

And the villagers have lived here
for so many generations,

you'd think they'd have
history on their side,

but something like this
just washes all that away.

Doesn't matter if you've
lived here for five years

or 500.

Who are they selling to?
The hotels?

Yeah, probably.

That's why the sooner we get them
down from the hills

and back into the villages,
the better.

- Be careful where you're walking.
- Thanks, love.

What's going on?

Government.

Government?

They're gonna build hotels?
Gonna build hotels?

Soon, maybe.

Thanks.

Do you speak English?

Ah, sure, but this is
for Dutch nationals.

Where's the U.K.?

Um...

someone told me they will
be here later this afternoon.

What do we do
till then?

Uh, I don't know
what to say.

- I'm really sorry.
- Look look,

- we've lost our daughter, okay?
- Yes, I understand.

Um, you can take
a little bit of spit from me?

- Uh, I can't--
- Dana, it's okay.

- We can do it.
- Oh...

- Thank you.
- You like to sit here?

We do saliva.

I specialize in
dental identification.

We're asking families...

if they could get
the dental records of the missing,

courier it over here.

It will speed up
the process.

Ian Carter.

11th of December,
1972.

And you've lost...?

Martha Carter.

First of April, 1998.

She got hold of a tree.

I've been trying to work
out how long she'd...

need to hold on for.

An hour, maybe?

Do you think
a six-year-old...

could have held on
for that long?

A grown man would
struggle with that one.

She might have been able
to hold on for 10, 15 minutes,

but...

no, not for an hour.

Not in that water.

Here's a number...

where we're staying.

My wife...

it's been harder.

He was only telling us
the truth.

You think I mind truth? You think
I want hope? I don't want hope.

I don't want to think
that maybe she'll come back,

because she won't and then
I am broken all over again.

Because you know, I left her
with you, Ian. I trusted that--

- There was a 15-foot fucking wave!
- You let her go.

We were walking
back to the hotel room.

I had the keys in my hand--
I don't know what you want me to say.

You want me to say
it's my fault? It is my fault.

I let her go.

It is my fault.
I couldn't--

I couldn't keep
hold of her.

It is my fault!

It will always be my fault,
but I didn't make this happen, Susan.

I couldn't stop this happening,
love, I couldn't!

Come on.

She was my baby too.

You were the one
holding onto her.

Yeah.

When she stopped
calling for me,

it was you she was
shouting for.

And where were you,
Susan?

Where the fuck were you
when she needed you?

I wasn't there.

No, you weren't there.

Any of you guys
want a break?

Nice work.

Thank you.

She's saying thank you.
Her baby hasn't slept for two days.

I'm gonna hunt for some medical
supplies-- if you want a lift?

Ian?

I'm gonna head off,
if that's okay.

Yeah, do you
want me to go with?

No, I'm fine.
You're best here.

Kathy, could you bring back
some more tarpaulin?

Bloody hell, Ian,
you're gonna need a picket fence

by the time
you're finished.

He knows his stuff--
Ian.

Yeah, give him a hammer
and he's happy.

He's always complaining
he's stuck too much in the office.

When we first started,
that's all he did, worked on site.

He's always been
best with his hands.

Now we've got 14 men
and he hates the paperwork.

He's a Godsend.

Yeah.

Yeah, I guess.

How can you believe?

How can you believe in
a God that would do this?

Um, I guess I know He can't
have a grip on every corner.

Why not? I mean,
isn't He all-powerful?

Isn't He this--
shining spirit

that's meant
to look after us?

That doesn't sound like
a nonbeliever to me.

Well, I don't believe
in a God

that keeps us all safe,
keep the world from harm.

Neither do I.

But I do believe
He didn't do this.

You know, the world keeps turning
and I don't think it's down to Him.

Hope--
that's all I've got.

Believing in something
that can't be proven,

but that you're willing
to trust is there.

That's what keeps me
safe at night.

- What, even after this?
- Yeah, even after this.

Buddhists believe that you're only
on this planet for a short life,

and that you have
to make the best of it.

And if you don't,
or can't,

then there's always
another life.

Well, just don't
ask me to believe

that Martha's gonna
come back as a fish or something.

To be honest, logistics has
been our biggest problem.

Every hospital in Phuket
now has a U.K. contact point.

Uh, right, I'll leave those better
informed to take over from here.

Ah, the press is
ready for you.

Yeah, I just want to pop up
and see Kim Peabody's boy

and let her know
the good news.

Four, please.

Certainly.

Mrs. Peabody,
we've managed

to secure a medevac flight
for your son in the morning.

London were pretty hard
with their criteria,

but when I explained
the situation--

What's he doing here?

I don't know
what to say.

I wouldn't have taken you
for a Methodist man.

Caught me.

Baptist mother,
Catholic father,

that leaves me somewhere
in between, I imagine.

You edging any closer to getting
that paperwork signed for me?

Ah, I have put in calls
to the relevant bodies, but--

Nah, you're okay. Everyone needs
to take five once in a while.

But if you do get a chance, I've got
some people who would really appreciate

a cargo full of plastic sheeting
that's waiting to be picked up.

- Kathy--
- Okay okay, you've got the night off.

- Bad day?
- What?

Well, people normally turn to God
if they've had a bum day.

I just needed somewhere
to sit and think without--

Yeah.

I get that.

I used to flatter myself

that I was actually doing
something for this country.

But really,
I'm just loitering...

like an uncomfortable
host at the party,

making sure
the right people are meeting,

that the drinks
are going round.

You've been stealing?

I wouldn't
call it that.

Reallocation of resources.

You'll understand.

Come on, I want
to show you something.

Does it involve
you driving?

I got you here
this far, didn't I?

It's an early start
tomorrow, Kathy.

Come on,
ye of little faith.

Some are Burmese,
working illegally.

Most are just
poor Thais

waiting to get
their lives back on track.

Home, sweet home.

You lived here?

Mm.

It's weird, what's lost
and what survives.

I'm so sorry.

And this...

God knows
whose this is.

They amputated
John Peabody's leg today.

Oh God.

I stupidly
believed that...

if I did what
London said--

You can look
to someone above,

but the buck
stops with me.

Well, we're all
guilty of that.

I've spent nearly
half my life believing in...

something,

something bigger
than me.

Today was the first day
I suddenly thought,

maybe I'm just
talking to myself,

that there really
is nothing.

This is it, just me.

Why do you stay here,
Kathy?

I mean,
don't you have family?

Don't you have
another life?

No, this is it.

This is my one shot.

So if I've got it wrong...

You know what
I realized today?

I'm good at this.

This is what I'm good at--
chaos is my natural habitat.

When I look around
at all the pain

and suffering and just
so much disaster--

to tell you the truth,
Tony, if I'm honest...

I've never felt
so lonely.

And I've never
felt so alive.

I'm having the best
time of my life.

Is that terrible?

That this is all my life is?

No.

Yeah.

Probably.

You do the best
you can.

Do better.

Sorry.

That's all right.
I couldn't sleep.

Where've you been?

I walked
from Ban Kaw Tai.

You walked?

As I was walking back...

I felt Martha.

I felt her.

My mind's a bit tapped
at the moment,

but...

I felt her, Susie.

They found a body.

Hi.
Come with me, please.

We've moved some bodies
over to the containers.

They offer some protection
from the heat.

The body has
decomposed.

But I want you to look
if you can see anything

that might identify
her to you.

If you need anything...

I can't tell.

How do we know?

Swimming costume was...

it was pink with--

these flowers which--

Was she
wearing flowers?

Do you know I've--
I just can't remember.

Look again.

Let's just, just--
let's stay here,

a moment...

if it is our baby.

She's so tiny.

They sent Martha's
dental records.

These will help.

How long will
we have to wait?

I don't know how much I can get
from an initial examination.

But, maybe
several hours.

Days maybe.

I can call you later
at your hotel.

We'll take care of her.

Sa-wat dee kha.

- Sorry I'm a little bit late.
- Oh, no problem.

- Come, join us.
- Thank you.

Who's the guy?

Jesus, Nick,
you freaked me out.

What's that?

It's a bar menu.

It's just a meeting.

He's an associate of someone
in our Bangkok office.

Hold on.

Look.

"Tsunamis: warning signs
and precautionary measures.

February, 1996,
Dr. Pravat Meeko."

"Giant sea waves moving
toward the coastline

generated by earthquakes
beneath the sea--

- it can be assumed..."
- Nick, I really--

"...that earthquakes in the Andaman Sea
will affect the west coast of Thailand."

It's all marked up, see?

I've never seen it.

No, you wouldn't have,
would you?

Because it's confidential.

There's a faultline that
runs along the Andaman Coast.

And only
half of it blew.

What about
the other half?

What we saw on Boxing Day
may well happen again.

We listen to the government, Nick.
We have to trust them.

If they say it's fine,
it's fine.

"Recommendations--

new building development
should be avoided

in tsunami impact zone."

- Nick--
- They thought it might be coming

and they ignored it.
Worse, they ridiculed it.

So what are you gonna do?

- You're just gonna rebuild the hotels?
- Nick!

You're gonna put them
right back where they were?

This country needs tourism.
We build hotels, bring jobs,

bring trade, bring the dollar,
the yen, the pound.

But you've got a responsibility
to the people too, haven't you?

I also have responsibility
to my companies, the people I work for.

Oh.

And what
about Ban Kaw Tai?

You gonna build there?
On land that's not even yours?

I'm just doing my job.
I barely even know where Ban Kow Tai is.

It's a fishing village,
Ellen!

It's got a population
of 1200.

It's land that was owned
by those villagers for generations.

Give me five minutes and meet me
upstairs, we'll talk about it.

If there's anything I can do,
I promise I will.

Mm-hm.

Look, we have
742 guests missing.

If I thought
any decision I'd made

had caused even
one of those deaths...

What?

What do you fucking think?
Give me five minutes.

Can I have a beer,
please?

- A beer?
- Yes, sir.

Ian! Ian, quickly!

What's wrong?

Look!

Hey!
Hey, stop stop!

Turn it off!
Turn it--

There's children here!
Stop!

You're going
to have to move.

What's he say?

I'm very sorry
for your loss.

- Kathy!
- What?

But this land
has been acquired.

By whom?

You have the paperwork
for this?

This land belongs
to SQA hotels now.

How much are they
giving you?

Because it isn't enough.

Hey hey hey!

Ho, okay.

It's okay,
all right.

You all right?

My great-grandfather,
he fish here all his life.

My grandfather, my father,

my family die here.

I know it's hard,
believe me.

But we survived.

Okay?

Okay?

Okay.

You're building
on a graveyard.

Only fools believe
in ghosts.

Come on.

Are you leaving,
Ellen?

742 guests.

How many
next time?

I hope they sue you
from here to Bangkok.

I was with a woman today,
she was on honeymoon.

She'd been married
for three days.

She said the only thing
that made it bearable

was that the last image of her husband
was him smiling in paradise.

- People still want paradise.
- Yeah, with a crack running through it.

Come on, Nick,
look at Bali, California,

some of the most beautiful
coastlines in South America,

Eastern Turkey,
most of Japan.

It's a fragile world,
Nick.

Dr. Meeko's recommendations
were deliberately ignored

by Thai authorities
who were desperate to protect

the burgeoning
tourist industry.

And now the worst
has happened.

Yet S.Q.A. Hotels continue
to ignore the dangers

of building on
a fragile coastline,

and are prepared to grab
land from Thai villagers

to build
even bigger resorts.

S.Q.A. property manager
Ellen Webb,

E-L-L-E-N W-E-B-B,

says, quote,
"We build hotels,

bring jobs,
bring trade,

bring the dollar, yen and pound."
End quote.

She goes on to say
that she has, quote,

"a responsibility
to my company,

to the people
I work for.

I'm just doing my job,"
she says.

Nick?

It's a good story,
Simone.

It's a great story.

You don't need me
to rewrite it. Send it just as it is.

Well, give me five minutes
to tidy it up then, all right?

...working with seismologists
from all over the world

to ensure loss on this scale
will not happen again.

Dr. Pravat Meeko's
exit from his position

as head of the Thai Meteorological
Department in the '90s

occurred under a cloud.

He had warned of the dangers
of a possible tsunami

along the Andaman Coast.

He will head the new committee
charged with--

You saw the news?

There's no smoking
in here.

You know, my wife just
put phone down on me,

didn't want me
to take the job.

She'll come around.

Six years is a long time
to be sidelined.

This isn't about me,

but to see an early
warning system in place.

Next time, half an hour
can make all the difference.

Half an hour after
an earthquake happening

and every beach can be
cleared from here to Sumatra.

Thanks for the report.

What report?

Better check
our emails.

Okay.

You had a call.

It was a doctor--
Dutch, I think.

Are you sure?

Okay, yeah.
Tomorrow.

Thanks, bye.

It's not her.

The, um...

girl had
two fillings.

Booked you a taxi
for 8:00.

I'm not going.

What's left of Martha
is still here.

How can I go if
she's still here?

I was just...

thinking about
when she was born.

I was thinking about...

well just--
remembering her eyes

looking out
into the world.

Do you remember that?

How do we come back
from this, Suze?

Oh, I don't know.

We can't leave.

I can't stop thinking about
when we flew over here

and she was sitting
in the space between us.

I don't know...

it was just...

you and me and...

the three of us.

It's New Year's Eve.

Sorry, that's my handwriting,
that's "E"--

Mom? Mom, he's come
around again.

Excuse me.

How're you feeling?

Hello,
my darling.

How are you?

Yeah, a bit better.

Yes.
This still sore?

While no one will forget
what they've seen

over the last six days,

out of tragedy has come

the most astonishing
resilience and strength.

The overwhelming love and care
of the many volunteers

who have been brought together
by this sequence of events,

and the extraordinary
selflessness

and compassion shown by the people
of Thailand to perfect strangers

has been very
very humbling.

I'm proud to have been
a part of this.

None of us will
go home the same.

Okay?

Thank you, Tony.

- Yeah, a moment.
- Did you get all that?

Hi, is everything
in order with your...

ticket here?
Well, good luck.

Hi, it's Carol,
isn't it?

Hi, how are you doing?
Hello, and you are--?

Let me remember--
it's Anna.

Hannah!
I'm sorry.

I broke your camera.

Nick.

Four columns,
not bad.

That is a start,
isn't it?

So I hear you're thinking of being
a real journo when you grow up.

When you coming home?

Don't know, I thought
I'd stick around a bit.

There's a whole thing with Burmese
immigrants here I want to look into.

And then head up--
head down to Aceh...

maybe add
a few more columns.

Nick?

You okay?

Yeah yeah, I'm fine.

Good.

Suk says
come back soon.

- You give her my love, will you?
- I will.

- All right.
- Take care of yourself.

You take care too.

All right.

Than...