Patong Deputy Mayor Phoonsak Naksena led the candle-lighting ceremony.
Joining him werePatong City Council President Thanin Attasab, Patong Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Kittisak Sommat, Salisa Limsakul of the Patong Hotel Association and Patong Hospital Chief Nurse Hathairat Rangsansarit.
The event started at 6pm with multi-faith ceremonies and a minute’s silence before attendees placed flowers and candles in the sand to remember the thousands who lost their lives in the disaster 15 years ago.
The service last night followed a remembrance ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance at the Mai Khao Cemetery in the morning, attended by a few dozen people.
At that ceremony, Sarawut Srisakukam, Chief of the Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), led the formal ceremony, during which he expressed his gratitude to those who turned up and offered his condolences to those who lost loved ones to the disaster. (See story here.)
As is tradition, the formal speech was followed by Buddhist, Muslim and Christian prayers for the souls lost to the waves on Dec 26, 2004, and attendees hung wreaths along the Wall of Remembrance, which was decorated with flags of the 45 nations who lost citizens.
In Thailand, official government estimates marked 5,078 confirmed dead, another 8,457 injured and 3,716 missing, presumed dead, all lost to the tsunami.
While confirmed deaths in Phuket were only 259, another 700 remained listed as missing.
Phang Nga, however, bore the brunt of the tsunami, with 4,163 people confirmed dead and another 2,113 recorded as missing. Records mark that of those killed in Phang Nga by the tsunami 2,213 were foreigners – mostly tourists.