.:HSTuners::

mavaaoife · 03-17-2005, 12:08 AM

Tsunami victim suing the US

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VIENNA (AFP) - A group of Austrian and German victims of the Asian tsunami disaster are to file a lawsuit demanding that Thailand, a French hotel chain and US forecasters prove they reacted adequately to the disaster, their lawyers said.

The suit, naming the French hotel chain Accor and the US-run tsunami early warning system in the Pacific as well as Thai authorities, will be filed in a New York district court this week, the lawyers said in Vienna.

"We found that serious lapses were committed," said Herwig Hasslacher, one of the three lawyers for the group.

They said the suit was not, at present, designed to demand compensation but to uncover evidence that would prove negligence.

The case was presented as the first of its kind arising out of the December 26 disaster, when a powerful undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra sent huge waves pounding into coastlines around the Indian Ocean.

Nearly 290,000 people died, including several thousand Western tourists who were holidaying in Indian Ocean resorts, notably in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The suit will be filed on behalf of 15 Austrian and four German victims of the disaster.

The targets are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington and its Hawaii-based tsunami warning centre; the Accor group of hotels where some of the victims stayed; and the Thai government.

The NOAA is accused of having registered the earthquake but failed to alert Indian Ocean countries of the impending tsunamis as the Hawaii centre covered only the Pacific.

The lawyers said that if the NOAA and Thai authorities, which had their own information, had passed on their alerts in time, it would have enabled people on shorelines to flee inland.

"We have evidence they did not warn us, even though they knew a quarter of an hour later about the strength and location of the quake, and although there is supposed to be a tsunami warning" from 6.5 on the Richter scale, Hasslacher said. The quake measured 9.0.

"The US government claims 'we are the protectors of the world'. (But) if we know there is a tsunami on its way to wipe out a major population, do we tell them?," asked US lawyer Edward Fagan.

"Nobody telling them it's coming. This is incredible!," Fagan said.

Fagan said precautions were however taken to evacuate US military personnel from the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.

Accor is named in the lawsuit because the plaintiffs say the chain did not properly inform relatives of the victims after the disaster and had built its Sofitel hotel, in the Thai resort of Khao Lak, on a quake fracture line.

Fagan told the news conference he would ask the US court this week, probably Thursday or Friday, to ensure the preservation of key documents needed for the case, such as satellite imagery and contacts between the NOAA, Thailand and Indonesia.

"At the end of the day, it's quite possible it will show that nobody did anything wrong," Fagan said.

"But people want to know, even if they (their relatives) had no choice," said Fagan, who has filedg class-action suits on behalf of Holocaust victims to receive compensation in Germany and other European countries.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ia_050216011816

ShEaNy · 03-17-2005, 01:37 PM

Wtf?

CD5Passion · 03-17-2005, 02:51 PM

I didn't pay much attention to all of this disaster and shit, but I'd say suing is alittle outrageous for something caused by a natural disaster.
kinda like the movie Day After Tomorrow (horrible storyline aside)

GT40FIED · 03-17-2005, 04:56 PM

Yeah...because hotels should protect you from naturally occuring phenominon

. And why are they suing the U.S.? Seems to me that if Thailand wanted their own tsunami protection system, they'd get one.

They claim we knew a full 15 minutes in advance...so what? alert proper authorities...2 minutes. Mobilize them and get enough of them out on the street...5 minutes. Get them to the right places to warn people...5 minutes (at least). That leaves your dumb German ass 3 minutes to flee...on foot. No...I'm afraid you're just fucked.

Mischief · 03-17-2005, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GT40FIED
No...I'm afraid you're just fucked.

mavaaoife · 03-17-2005, 11:26 PM

The whole world bitches about the US.,. but yet we are supposed to save the entire world..

CD5Passion · 03-17-2005, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Yeah...because hotels should protect you from naturally occuring phenominon. And why are they suing the U.S.? Seems to me that if Thailand wanted their own tsunami protection system, they'd get one.

They claim we knew a full 15 minutes in advance...so what? alert proper authorities...2 minutes. Mobilize them and get enough of them out on the street...5 minutes. Get them to the right places to warn people...5 minutes (at least). That leaves your dumb German ass 3 minutes to flee...on foot. No...I'm afraid you're just fucked.

leave it to Steve to word everything perfectly

03-17-2005, 12:08 AM	#1
mavaaoife Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Atlanta, Ga. Age: 40 Posts: 1,486	Ungrateful tsunami survivors Tsunami victim suing the US -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIENNA (AFP) - A group of Austrian and German victims of the Asian tsunami disaster are to file a lawsuit demanding that Thailand, a French hotel chain and US forecasters prove they reacted adequately to the disaster, their lawyers said. The suit, naming the French hotel chain Accor and the US-run tsunami early warning system in the Pacific as well as Thai authorities, will be filed in a New York district court this week, the lawyers said in Vienna. "We found that serious lapses were committed," said Herwig Hasslacher, one of the three lawyers for the group. They said the suit was not, at present, designed to demand compensation but to uncover evidence that would prove negligence. The case was presented as the first of its kind arising out of the December 26 disaster, when a powerful undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra sent huge waves pounding into coastlines around the Indian Ocean. Nearly 290,000 people died, including several thousand Western tourists who were holidaying in Indian Ocean resorts, notably in Thailand and Sri Lanka. The suit will be filed on behalf of 15 Austrian and four German victims of the disaster. The targets are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington and its Hawaii-based tsunami warning centre; the Accor group of hotels where some of the victims stayed; and the Thai government. The NOAA is accused of having registered the earthquake but failed to alert Indian Ocean countries of the impending tsunamis as the Hawaii centre covered only the Pacific. The lawyers said that if the NOAA and Thai authorities, which had their own information, had passed on their alerts in time, it would have enabled people on shorelines to flee inland. "We have evidence they did not warn us, even though they knew a quarter of an hour later about the strength and location of the quake, and although there is supposed to be a tsunami warning" from 6.5 on the Richter scale, Hasslacher said. The quake measured 9.0. "The US government claims 'we are the protectors of the world'. (But) if we know there is a tsunami on its way to wipe out a major population, do we tell them?," asked US lawyer Edward Fagan. "Nobody telling them it's coming. This is incredible!," Fagan said. Fagan said precautions were however taken to evacuate US military personnel from the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. Accor is named in the lawsuit because the plaintiffs say the chain did not properly inform relatives of the victims after the disaster and had built its Sofitel hotel, in the Thai resort of Khao Lak, on a quake fracture line. Fagan told the news conference he would ask the US court this week, probably Thursday or Friday, to ensure the preservation of key documents needed for the case, such as satellite imagery and contacts between the NOAA, Thailand and Indonesia. "At the end of the day, it's quite possible it will show that nobody did anything wrong," Fagan said. "But people want to know, even if they (their relatives) had no choice," said Fagan, who has filedg class-action suits on behalf of Holocaust victims to receive compensation in Germany and other European countries. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ia_050216011816 __________________ 1994 Supra TT Auto-THE WORLDS MOST CURSED SUPRA!!! www.atlsupras.com Http://www.myspace.com/tehren84

03-17-2005, 02:51 PM	#3
CD5Passion Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Santa Barbara, California Age: 38 Posts: 5,446	I didn't pay much attention to all of this disaster and shit, but I'd say suing is alittle outrageous for something caused by a natural disaster. kinda like the movie Day After Tomorrow (horrible storyline aside) __________________

03-17-2005, 04:56 PM	#4
GT40FIED Best...mod...ever Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: At the end of the longest line Age: 43 Posts: 7,451	Yeah...because hotels should protect you from naturally occuring phenominon. And why are they suing the U.S.? Seems to me that if Thailand wanted their own tsunami protection system, they'd get one. They claim we knew a full 15 minutes in advance...so what? alert proper authorities...2 minutes. Mobilize them and get enough of them out on the street...5 minutes. Get them to the right places to warn people...5 minutes (at least). That leaves your dumb German ass 3 minutes to flee...on foot. No...I'm afraid you're just fucked. __________________ 1984 1/2 Mustang GT350 #842, Faster than you...nuff said Anna Fan Club President/Dictator Someday, in the event that mankind actually figures out what it is that this world actually revoles around, thousands of people are going to be shocked and perplexed that it was not them. Sometimes this includes me. "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." - George Orwell Welcome to the new Amerika

03-17-2005, 11:26 PM	#6
mavaaoife Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Atlanta, Ga. Age: 40 Posts: 1,486	The whole world bitches about the US.,. but yet we are supposed to save the entire world.. __________________ 1994 Supra TT Auto-THE WORLDS MOST CURSED SUPRA!!! www.atlsupras.com Http://www.myspace.com/tehren84

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03-17-2005, 01:37 PM	#2
ShEaNy Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Winnipeg, MB Age: 40 Posts: 3,821	Wtf?