5 January 2005

Tsunami response

Members of staff are invited to observe the national 3 minute silence in remembrance of the tsunami victims today at 12 noon. The University Chaplaincy will be open for staff who wish to mark the silence in the chapel.

The University cash office is accepting donations of either cash or cheques to the Tsunami appeal. All money raised by the University in this way will be donated to the Lord Provost's appeal for the disaster relief fund.

University Secretary David Duncan said: "Many members of the University community will have given a donation to the Tsunami appeal over the past week to one of the major charities but the University would like to make it easy for staff and students to contribute to the local fundraising effort led by the Lord Provost."

Sue Black, Professor of Forensic Anthropology has gone out to Phuket in Thailand to help identify the dead. Sue was called up by Kenyon International Emergency Services on 30th December and travelled to Thailand on 31st December.

Speaking from Phuket, Sue said that the "task is enormous". When she arrived there were no body bags and bodies were decomposing in the direct sun. She says the situation has now come round and the disaster teams have managed to collect and store the bodies properly.

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk