One year after the catastrophe

An earthquake beneath the ocean sent gigantic waves ashore killing 200,000 people last year. Images from mass media showing piles of bodies and seriously devastated villages were a great shock to many people. Mobile phones with camera and video functions enable survivors of the disaster to disseminate live video clips and photos to news agencies almost immediately after the strike of Tsunami. The widespread of visual information about the catastrophe with the help of the Internet and major news agencies drew global attention and touched the hearts of millions all over the world. The overwhelming report of the disaster by mass media resulted in an unprecedented amount of aid and support for millions of victims scourged by the December 26th Tsunami.

Beyond the suffering and carnage, the Tsunami was a big test to the capacity and will of the international community, states, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in coping with global crisis of this scale. Lessons learnt from this disaster were valuable experiences to all parties concerned on how to effectively deliver aid and support to victims of other natural disasters.

I hope the overwhelming coverage of Tsunami by media would not draw people’s attention away from those underprivileged who are scourged by infectious diseases, hunger and wars everyday. Hundreds of thousands of children starve and die of malnutrition each day. They are deprived of the right of education and proper healthcare. Their plight is unseen to many owing to its minimal coverage in mass media. The Collaborative efforts of NGOs, governmental organizations and mass media did a great job in the Tsunami crisis and it would be a good news to hear if they did the same in response to other long forgotten misfortunes.