The Status of Ko Phi Phi

I've also been monitoring the tsunami missing persons boards at the Thorn Tree forum on Lonely Planet's site. I've noticed a lot of people are trying to contact people that live and/or work on Ko Phi Phi.

This is a public service announcement: Based on an email we received last Wednesday from Maprao (our lodging on Ko Phi Phi), everyone on the island of Phi Phi has been evacuated to Phuket; this may explain why you are having trouble reaching folks by phone and most of them are swamped and behind in answering email. FYI, everyone at Maprao and their guests have now been accounted for and there were no deaths.

The Belgium-born owners of Maprao said they and others from Phi Phi have to stay in Phuket indefinitely - as the authorities are clearing out bodies and stabilizing the area first before allowing anyone that used to live and work on Phi Phi back. When I hear more news, I will update.

Comments

[hugh macleod]

This is not coming through the news channels yet... how long is it going to take to rebuild the infrastructure. I guess it's too soon to really think about that.

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

The folks at Maprao sounded a little dejected - they had no idea themselves and are thus stuck in Phuket indefinitely along with a lot of other residents of Phi Phi. I will ping them again maybe later in week or so - they are already inundated so I don't want to impose too much.

[alwyne butler]

hey
i lived and worked at apache bar on phi phi during april and may of this past year. i became very good friends with everyone who works at apache bar. several people at hippie bar also became good friends of mine. do you have any idea what happened to them? please let me know at [email protected]. if you ask people i was the american girl with red hair who could speak thai. thank you so much

[alwyne butler]

hey
i lived and worked at apache bar on phi phi during april and may of this past year. i became very good friends with everyone who works at apache bar. several people at hippie bar also became good friends of mine. do you have any idea what happened to them? please let me know at [email protected]. if you ask people i was the american girl with red hair who could speak thai. thank you so much

[oliver]

hi,

is there anybody who can provide me with some infos about the group of fishermen in front of charlies beach resort and the ciao bella (luciano, raoul?!) - i am a good friend of dum the leader of this group of fisherman. is there somebody who knows pp and can give me some more news - whats happen at dolam bay in pp, whats happen to pp, whats happen to my friends - for any infos, for any contact i am thankfull

oliver

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

I'm back home in San Jose (not that information was all that much easier to come by in Phuket either) but will ping my lodging, Maprao, this week to see if they have more news of others from Phi Phi. Again, the survivors have been evacuated to Phuket and no one is on Phi Phi.

[Chris Rayson]

To Whom It May Concern,
I was working in the Tiger Bar on Ko Phi-Phi during October 2004 and became good friends with the staff who work there. The owner of the bar is Donald and I am in need of finding out if he and the staff are safe. Any information is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Chris.

[Shige Toyoguchi]

I was just wondering if all of the staff at Maprao made it out of Phi Phi ok. Please update on status whoever knows. This is from Shige and Jake from Boise, Idaho. Those guys at Maprao were great staff and friends of ours.

[Kent Suarez]

Be sure to check http://www.teknikochaventyr.se/mavin/diveshops.htm, as it is a very good summary of survivors on PhiPhi, the emphasis being dive shops but some on bars etc. also.
In answer to one of your postings, everyone at Tiger seems to be ok, based on this site. Pls also go to http://www.teknikochaventyr.se/mavin/ to share your info with them, as it seems to be the best info "hub" on Phi Phi I've found in a week of intensive searching. I truly hope you all find your friends safe and sound.
Kent Suarez, Taipei

[cressida]

hello my name is cressida
i was on ko phi phi when the sunami hit i was at the bakery when it happend im just trying to least people that i know are alive

tiger bar
donald
chai
justin canadian bleached hair < kane was in canada thank god
toby
joe
tar
nunn

sam and paddy tobys friend

the guy that owned chai bella well i saw him running so im not 100 persent sure

the owner of pp anderson and his wife

andrew who was 1/2 italian and 1/2 english with his thai wife who is called jay and thaey have 2 kids 1 called cat and i think alex

iland divers
manager wayne
indian girl who was english and very pretty

some staff at the bakerys

mum and baby on the tatoist shop on charlie beach

and me cressida i was there in feb this year too my mum rita my son che my 2 friends suzie and amy are all alive

if i remember anymore i will get back to you

does any one know about guys at hippybar and the guys at the bar on the beach by charlies

thankyou and god bless

[dan]

I heard through a third person that Teep, Kiang, and Suchard from Phi Phi Climbers are okay, and are moving up to Chiang Mai.

[Rob]

Does anyone know what happened to Pool and his brother who both worked at the Beach Bar at Charlies? if you have any news i'd be very grateful..

rob

[Rob]

Does anyone know what happened to Poon and his brother who both worked at the Beach Bar at Charlies? if you have any news i'd be very grateful..

rob

[Ewan]

I am trying to find out the whereabouts of some good friends of mine.

Suksai Subarat known as 'Da' worked in the Blue Massage place that doubled as a Tattoo shop between the Bakery and 7Eleven through town heading towards Ciao Bella side. If anyone can search for this name in Thai it would be greatly appreciated.

Also i am trying to locate my friends at Hippies Bar - I hear that Boi and Bird may have escaped but not the DJ. Would like to know about Ek and his Girlfriend Moi, Eddy (manager) and especially Choek and his young son Sea. Choek had started to mainly work in Hippies Restraunt - there is a picture of him and his son on this link... http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=2390877

I took this picture in March and only gave him a copy of it 2 weeks before the Wave.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks & good luck to everyone

Ewan (uk)
[email protected]

[Laurel]

I'm looking for a contact or information for Pratheep "Theep" Jantamanee.

Thanks, Laurel

[Laurel]

I'm looking for a contact or information for Pratheep "Theep" Jantamanee who worked at Phi Phi Climbers and the Hippie Bar.

Thanks, Laurel

[Shar]

I am trying to find out if Mai Tai and staff at Amsterdam bar are ok?

[catherine gill]

hi there. I would be really grateful if anyone has news on the staff at hippies bar, especially suwit sokhrat (his nickname sounded like 'wheat') and nino the main firedancer. thank you, catherine from ireland xxx

[Heidi]

Hi.
I'm trying to find some info about chair. He worked in the Wild Artists shop but hang out in Hippies by night time. He is 23years old and always had a black cap on. He has long black hair down to his shoulders and a piercing under his lep. He also had alot of tatoos: one on both his shoulders and legs and a big one on his back from the left side. If you know anything please contact me. Heidi.

[Johanna]

I left phi phi island the night before the wave hit, feel so lucky! Wonder about a lot of friends and especially Stevie, a south african girl who where travelling around by her self. Is there anybody who know her or got her email? know anything about her?
[email protected]

[Elana]

My name is Elana, I am South African. My husband Gary and I were on honeymoon in phi phi when the tsunami hit.About 12 very brave people/ angels carried my very badly wounded husband in a bed sheet from the remains of the phi phi hotel to the helicopter site. If this sounds familiar to you, please contact me. If you are one of these people, we are eternally greatful!!!!

[Evelyn Rodriguez]

UPDATE: I have heard more from Maprao Resort in Phi Phi, and they say that everyone is safe from their staff. The resort itself has been badly damaged, and they are soliciting donations for both a) those in most need in Phi Phi and b) if you would like to help with their individual reconstruction effort. See: http://www.maprao.com

As best I can tell, many tourist operators are now rebuilding to be ready (hopefully) for the next season - i.e. October/November timeframe, and I'm considering going back to do a follow up report.

Having just sat at breakfast on the bamboo-floored patio in front of the lobby at around 8 a.m. the morning of the tsunami (but I was on a completely different beach when the wave struck), I am amazed by the photos of the destruction:
http://www.maprao.com/tsunami_photos.htm

It appears that many resorts and restaurants are now updating their websites with information on the status of their staff and buildings, so that is probably a good place to check. Alternatively, I've found the Thorn Tree section of Lonely Planet site invaluable - http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ - see Missing Persons - Tsunami Disaster, and Found Persons - Tsunami Disaster.

[rachel]

im just responding to something i read a while up about tiger bar- no one at all was killed from tiger staff, because ironically the decrepit tiger house opposite phi phi dreams had all but about collapsed in past months, forcing a new tiger house to form in a random spot up past the resovoir on top of the hill.
because its cheaper up there, cause hey, who wants to live on a hill when you can live on the beach front?.. ironyyyyyyyy

[Laura Meijer]

2 yers ago i was working and living at the tattoo shop on phi phi . i was wondering if anyone knowes anything about the people that were working there, they were also playing in the band that played on rollin stoned bar every night. the tattoist "jay", the piercing man "oie" and all the others.. please if you know anything.....love!!!

[karen]

hi everyone

I worked at the reggae bar for two months in 2003. Over that period of time i became quite close with some of the locals. I have returned three times since....Has anyone heard anything about a thai guy named It, Kong, Adam, Jimmy and a few of the girls from the bar and the owner Reena? Please email me back with any information. i am especially concerned about It who was from Krabi and the 13 child in his family(he worked at the rolling Stone and for a climbing company)
Any information would be great!