INTERNATIONAL VICTIM COORDINATION CENTER
Searching for a missing person that is close to you can be a very difficult and tiring process. Our intention is to effectively communicate as much of the necessary information that you need below.

What should you do first?

Please visit the International Victim Coordination Center located on the lawn next to the Orange cellular antenna at the City Hall at Phuket Town.

At the Center they have lists of patients admitted to all of the hospitals in affected areas. You can also review lists of victims that did not suffer serious injuries and where relocated to other hotels and resorts in unaffected areas.

If the person that you are looking for is not listed with the hospital records and relocated lists you should fill out a “Missing Persons Information” sheet. These sheets give you the opportunity to list valuable information for the forensic teams.

What should I do after I visit
the International Victim Coordination Center

Immediately visit your Embassy staff who are located on the 2^nd floor of the main information centre.

Once you have visited the Embassy staff you should visit a DNA collection center (contact details below) and give samples from either the missing relative/friend or yourself if you are a blood relative – it is very important that you retain some personal items of the missing relative or friend as you will be required to provide these for more DNA testing in your home country.

If your relative or friend is missing you may feel the need to search and find the body. However, please know that the temples (Wats) where the bodies are currently being held are closed due to health risks. The conditions are extremely dangerous and have the potential to a spread of Cholera, Typhoid Liver Inflammation, and other contagious diseases.

Also, we are advised by the International Forensic teams that bodies will not be released to families or relatives without appropriate DNA Interpol standard (FDI) testing and dental record checks which must submitted through the proper channel of your Government in your home country.

Given the above we highly recommend that you return to your home country to help continue the identification process.

Returning home, what should you do next?

Once you return to your home country you will need to make contact with your appropriate Government office. They should be in a position to advise you of the next steps and where they are collecting information and DNA samples etc.

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To help with the identification you will be asked to provide the following for your relative or friend:

• Samples like: toothbrush, underwear, hair, shaver etc.
• Dental and medical records – particularly if they have had an operation
• Doctor or Dentist contact information.
• Photographs or information about jewelry that you know they were wearing.

You should collect these items as soon as possible and put them in individual sealed plastic bags.

You could also complete a Disaster Victim Identification form which you can download from http://www.interpol.int/Public/DisasterVictim/Forms/Default.asp.

For information - the Forensic teams are taking photos of all the victims; the focus will be on identifiable items like medical operations and jewelry to help identification. They are also taking DNA samples and dental records. All records will be held in a central agency, the OTTIC (Official Thai Tsunami Information Centre) who have a website to speed up the identification process (www.csiphuket.com).

If you are a relative of a missing person we would also highly recommend that you connect with some counseling support in your home country.

If you are family or a close friend of a missing person we recommend that you seek counseling support, in addition you can also help the relatives by suggesting that they seek some help.

Thailand DNA Collection Centers

Phuket :
Vachira Hospital – 04 7446070
Patong Hospital – 06 6919793
City Hall Phuket – 06 5083857

Krabi :
Krabi Meritime Hotel – 075 62002846

Bangkok :
National Policy Office Forensic Science Division – 02 205 1744, 02 252 7930

Miscellaneous Information

The following websites have been put together to help relatives and friends with their search :

www.hospital.moph.go.th/phangnga
www.hospital.moph.ho.th/takuapah
www.disaster.go.th
www.vachiraphuket.go.th
www.phukethospital.go.th
www.phuketitcity.com
www.missingpersons.or.th
http://ems.narenthorn.or.th ( to check hospitals in Bangkok )
http://missing.antalys.net/
http://ems.narenthorn.thaigov.net ( same as above )
www.peoplematch.rc.tv

Emergency Office Numbers in Thailand

British
Phuket Tel. 076 264473/4/5 or 484 ( e-mail britembphuket@yahoo.com )
Bangkok Embassy Tel. 02 3058333 ( e-mail Consular.bangkok@fco.gov.uk )