The Shock Doctrine
Part 7, Chapter 19: Blanking the Beach
Links
Statement by Thailand Tsunami Survivors and Supporters Group, February 2005
Link
In this statement written just a few months after the Asian tsunami, survivors declared the need for a people’s reconstruction and warned of predatory developers. The survivors explained, “To these groups of businessmen-politicians, the tsunami was the answer to their prayers, since it literally wiped these coastal areas clean of the communities which had previously stood in the way of their plans for resorts, hotels, casinos and shrimp farms. To them, all these coastal areas are now open land!”
Link
In this statement written just a few months after the Asian tsunami, survivors declared the need for a people’s reconstruction and warned of predatory developers. The survivors explained, “To these groups of businessmen-politicians, the tsunami was the answer to their prayers, since it literally wiped these coastal areas clean of the communities which had previously stood in the way of their plans for resorts, hotels, casinos and shrimp farms. To them, all these coastal areas are now open land!”
Documents
Tsunami Response: A Human Rights Assessment, January 2006
Link
ActionAid evaluates reconstruction efforts in five tsunami-hit countries. The report also chronicles human rights abuses in the wake of the tsunami.
Link
ActionAid evaluates reconstruction efforts in five tsunami-hit countries. The report also chronicles human rights abuses in the wake of the tsunami.
Post-Tsunami Tourism and Reconstruction: A Second Disaster? October 2005
Link
UK-based NGO Tourism Concern details efforts to kick tsunami survivors off their valuable land and instead construct tourist resorts for the wealthy in five of the tsunami-hit nations.
Link
UK-based NGO Tourism Concern details efforts to kick tsunami survivors off their valuable land and instead construct tourist resorts for the wealthy in five of the tsunami-hit nations.
Regaining Sri Lanka
Link
Regaining Sri Lanka was the country’s official pre-tsunami shock therapy program. This unpopular plan, which accelerated privatizations, was eventually scrapped in 2004 due to enormous public pressure.
Link
Regaining Sri Lanka was the country’s official pre-tsunami shock therapy program. This unpopular plan, which accelerated privatizations, was eventually scrapped in 2004 due to enormous public pressure.
New Orleans Community Leaders Attend Reconstruction Seminar in Thailand, November 2006
Link
The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights gathered 10 community leaders from New Orleans, 157 community leaders from 9 Asian countries, and representatives from the UN, the Thai government and Thai NGOs to discuss sustainable, community-based disaster recovery efforts. Inspirational reading.
Link
The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights gathered 10 community leaders from New Orleans, 157 community leaders from 9 Asian countries, and representatives from the UN, the Thai government and Thai NGOs to discuss sustainable, community-based disaster recovery efforts. Inspirational reading.
New Orleans Residents Tour Asian Tsunami Areas, September 2006
Link
Five New Orleans activists discussed community-based reconstruction with tsunami survivors in Thailand and Aceh. This inspirational document contains fantastic photos and notes from the international exchange.
Link
Five New Orleans activists discussed community-based reconstruction with tsunami survivors in Thailand and Aceh. This inspirational document contains fantastic photos and notes from the international exchange.
