Alex Lee (alexandermlee@yahoo.com) writes: "Dear Sir or Madam, A dear friend of mine is on Phi Phi island, off the western coast of Thailand and has asked that I contact whoever I can to ask for help. His access to the internet is slow and unreliable, so i've offered to do whatever I can to help. He told me tonight that there is a real need for search and rescue dogs to help locate the injured, and now (sadly) the dead from the tsunami. Below is his message, and contact information - Please help if you possibly can, and forward this appeal to whomever you think could also help. Regards, Alex Lee Cambridge, MA USA"
"Hi All, I'm on Phi Phi Island here in Thailand where the tsunami has just hit and caused a big mess. There is a man in the resort whose wife is still missing 30 hours later, and the village surrounding the resort has been destroyed so there are still many people missing. We're unable to find much in the mangrove swamps here, and really need access to trained dogs that can find trapped people and bodies. Thai Police have their hands full so I'm sending this out on the off chance that someone knows of a hunting dog or a search and resuce dog that's in Thailand. I know it's a long shot but if anyone knows of a trained dog anywhere in southeast asia, we can have him/her flown up here at our expense. If you can think of anyone please email at christianrbuss@yahoo.com, or if you have contact information for someone based in Thailand, please SMS (text message) +31-6-518-21638. You can also call if you have a number/person. Hoping for the best. Sincerely, Christian"