Surviving tidal wave

ORPHAN: FISHERMAN LIVING OFF OCEAN THAT KILLED BOTH HIS PARENTS

- Phang Nga

After an eight-year-old boy, Pirun Kla-Talay, was orphaned by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, he now makes his living from the waters that claimed his parents.

Each morning the fisherman sets out from Bang Wa district in his red and yellow boat, selling his catch at the local market in southern Thailand.

For tsunami survivors, the sea can represent both beauty and sorrow. "The sea makes me sad and happy at the same time," said Pirun, now 28.

"It reminds me of loss, but it also shaped who I am today."

On 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a devastating tsunami that ravaged coastal communities in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

More than 225,000 people were killed, and entire neighbourhoods were wiped out.