The Tsunami in South East Asia (Reactions of the Swedish Royals): December 26, 2004


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
susanstotz said:
I agree about respecting each others opinion, of course, but

is it possible that

there are things going on that you cannot imagine about victoria's life?

The tolerance we show to each other does not seem to extend to her.
she is dropped like a hot potato and her behaviour condemned even though we do not know the particular circumstances. It is merciless to think that she would act in a way that is rationally and emotionally to most decent people unexplainable.
Yes, well, maybe I should change the (agressive seeming?) tone of my messages. But there´s still the fact, that I´m disappointed. I can see, that it seems now overwhelming (in a bad way) how Victoria is bashed here. But just think of the times, in which she got "top grades" and a lot of praise of members here. Victoria has always headed popularity polls here, while other Royals got for some reasons less votes or criticism. Then again some Royals seem to "enjoy"/experience a changing popularity. When they have done something wrong, they are criticised, and when they have done something very impressing (best example is the swedish king, who is getting our greatest respect right now), then they are praised. And this is IMO the fairest way: Criticise ppl in the times you think, they have acted wrong and praise them for doing things, which seem right to you. The catastrophy happened only 9 days ago, so why not criticising her right now? For me I can say, that I will give her a second chance and that I will praise things in the future, which impress me in a positive way!
 
susanstotz said:
is it possible that there are things going on that you cannot imagine about victoria's life?

The tolerance we show to each other does not seem to extend to her.
she is dropped like a hot potato and her behaviour condemned even though we do not know the particular circumstances. It is merciless to think that she would act in a way that is rationally and emotionally to most decent people unexplainable.
This was a personal relaxing and getting-away trip for her, as told by the Court – what else is there to know?

Victoria has always been, and still is, one of my favourite royals, and I admire the hard work she has done and does – but to be out of the country on a personal vacation to relax as her country is going through the worst catastrophe in modern time – that’s just not acceptable from my side. A huge mistake.

I give her praise when she deserves it - and critizism when she deserves it. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be - a balanced view of things? No one has mentioned dropping her like a hot potato when she does something one doesn't like, only that we need to have a balanced wiev - and this is mine.

And just as Lena said, I can’t imagine that Victoria lived in some little village and slept in a hut with a tribe or something…. And she has to have her two Säpo guards with her, and they are in constant contact with the head quarter in Stockholm – so Ann-Christine Jernberg’s comment that they couldn’t reach Victoria on Boxing Day is just ridiculous. They had every chance to reach her on the other 7 days, and I would be surprised it they also couldn’t have done that via Säpo on Boxing Day too…

Larzen said:
Accually I think A-C J made it worse. Had she said nothing else than Victoria is comming home now. OK fair enough. But now she starts with things like "she could not be reachen on the 26th. and then brings her home 8 days later!!! Noone belives that Victoria can not be reached, she has the police with her at all times, and its not like they turn of the cell phones. Ok maybe they could not reach her the 26, but that now leads to a whole lot of another questions, did they want her to come home then, why did they not call her the next day or the day after that and so on, or why did Victoria not feel the urge to call home as soon as she heared about it, Im sure the police or someone else must have told her. Sloppy PR by ACJ

Im glad Victoria is comming home but I think it is to late, its just so unlike her to want to be on vacation when Sweden is going to trough its most terrible time in modern times
Agreed! :D
 
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Josefine said:
i think ETW is missed at the court's PR office
Im sure she is:D ACJ must be on some kind of Power trip over her newly recieved power, that keeps her from holding her tongue straight. There are such things as too much information, also for royals
 
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Larzen said:
Im sure she is:D ACJ must be on some kind of Power trip over her newly recieved power, that keeps her form holding her tongue straght. There are such things as too much information, also for royals
Yes, very good. I hope my prediction happens then!
 
On a different note, I am very impressed to hear of King Carl Gustav's decision to go to Thailand personally. I have to say that in equal proportion to my disappointment in his daughter and her lack of presence I am in equal proportion impressed with his own actions during this crises.

Before this matter, I always regarded him as a bit of a curmudgeon who seemed like a big grump. But in light of this crises, I am most impressed with his caring qualities which have been exhibited on more than one occasion publicly as well as his leadership by example. The Swedish people must be very proud to have a leader amongst them who does not hide in times of crises but takes the bull by the horns, guides, supports and leads his subjects with a level head.
 
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Alexandria said:
Before this matter, I always regarded him as a bit of a curmudgeon who seemed like a big grump. But in light of this crises, I am most impressed with his caring qualities which have been exhibited on more than one occasion publicly as well as his leadership by example. The Swedish people must be very proud to have a leader amongst them who does not hide in times of crises but takes the bull by the horns, guides, supports and leads his subjects with a level head.
Yes, they are. Well, many are and many more should be. He has done quite well this last week. Well said.

GrandDuchess said:
These were the first remains of many hundreds, or in the worst case thousand, Swedes (these 6 were the first which has stated death certificates and their identities have been established, and could thereby leave the country) that will be taken home for their final rest eventually, and for both Sweden as a nation and the family and friends of the dead – this will be a long and painful process, unique in the history of our country.
The plane has arrived in Stockholm. The King, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine were there to meet it along with the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament and Archibishop Hammar. Also 25-30 relatives were present. The King and the Prime minister talked privately with the relatives.
 
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Dennism said:
The plane has arrived in Stockholm. The King, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine were there to meet it along with the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament and Archibishop Hammar. Also 25-30 relatives were present. The King and the Prime minister talked privately with the relatives.
They - the relatives - are in my prayers.
As, are the parents of that Swedish lad who has apparently been kidnapped in Thailand.
 
According to a few articles, the Royal Children cried openly at the ceremony.

Here are a few photos from the ceremony from Reuters and newspapers:
 

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hrhcp said:
They - the relatives - are in my prayers.
As, are the parents of that Swedish lad who has apparently been kidnapped in Thailand.
For those who don´t know the story, here it is:

The Scotsman

A TEAM of Swedish detectives has flown to southern Thailand after doctors reported that a boy of 12 from Stockholm had been kidnapped from a public hospital as he recovered from minor injuries caused by the tsunami.

The disappearance of Kristian Walker from the hospital on the holiday island of Phuket followed a warning from the Swedish branch of Save the Children that orphaned youngsters of all nationalities left alone after the disaster were particularly vulnerable to paedophiles.

Kristian was separated from his mother, Madeleine, 45, brother David, 14, and sister Anna, seven, when a huge wave ripped through the beachside villa in which the family was staying in the popular resort of Khao Lak.

In the wake of the disaster, the boy’s father, Dan, 47, and grandfather Daniel, 78, flew straight to Phuket to search for members of the family, finally tracking down Kristian’s brother and sister to a hospital six miles from their holiday home.

After days of searching, Dan Walker returned to Sweden with the two distressed children, assuming his wife and Kristian had perished.

The boy’s grandfather, an American who lives in Florida, agreed to stay behind and continue the search for his grandson and daughter-in-law, and on Sunday he showed a photograph of Kristian to nurses during a visit to a hospital about 20 miles from Khao Lak.

The photograph of the boy was recognised by a doctor who told the pensioner that his grandson had been taken away by a westerner who claimed to be his guardian.

Speaking from his home in Stockholm last night, Dan Walker said: "At first, we thought my son Kristian was almost certainly dead and I returned home with my two surviving children, but then my father visited a hospital 30 kilometres away from the resort they were staying in and several staff reacted when they were shown the picture."

He went on: "They told him that Kristian was seen on the day of the disaster and the following day sitting on the outpatients’ bench being treated for scratches and bruises. He was seen on both days with a man. We are now convinced that this man has abducted my son and I have contacted the police in Stockholm who have already dispatched two detectives to investigate his potential kidnapping. It is our worst nightmare.

"On the one hand, I am immensely relieved that there is a glimmer of hope he survived, but we have no idea who he is with or whether he is in danger. Kristian’s mother is still missing."

In Phuket yesterday, Makmur Sunusi, an official in Thailand’s interior ministry, said he was uncertain as to the boy’s fate. He said: "We cannot say that it has happened, because at the moment it is a chaotic situation."

However, Kampongsree Somprutthar, the hospital doctor who recognised the photograph, said she was certain that the boy had been abducted.

She went on: "Kristian was here in the hospital - I have no doubt about that.

"He was taken away by a man a few days after the tsunami hit. I have described him to the police as ‘European-looking, with a moustache and a red shirt’."

The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed yesterday that four detectives from Stockholm had been sent out to Thailand to co-operate with local officials in the search for the schoolboy.

A spokesman said: "There are many issues and challenges facing the authorities in southern Thailand, and we felt our own police officers could assist them in the search for Kristian.

"His family are obviously deeply concerned about his safety, and the witness statements we have been made aware of to date certainly suggest Kristian is still alive. If he is, we will be doing everything we can to find him."

Details of Kristian’s apparent abduction came only 24 hours after the Swedish head of Save the Children warned that children who ended up alone after the natural disaster were potential targets for sexual abuse by paedophiles.

She said: "The experience from other catastrophes is that children are particularly vulnerable. There are already indications that surviving children had been sexually abused in Sri Lanka, one of the countries suffering worst from the tsunami.

"This is an area of the world where child trafficking is a major criminal enterprise and, with so many children isolated or detached from their families, it is obviously an area of serious concern, especially as a great deal of youngsters are presumed to be dead and [they are] therefore even more vulnerable to be trafficked to work in brothels or in factory sweatshops across Asia."

The Swedish authorities’ swift response to Kristian’s apparent kidnapping is in stark contrast to their initial reaction to the tragedy.

Laila Freivalds, the country’s foreign minister, is facing calls for his resignation after it emerged that he went off to the theatre on 27 December, just as the magnitude of the tsunami disaster was becoming apparent.

With 52 Swedes confirmed to have been killed in the disaster and about 702 others missing, Sweden has been traumatised over the past week. That shock is now turning to anger with the government.

Despite pleas from Swedish doctors in Thailand on 28 December to transport injured Swedes immediately to European hospitals for treatment, the first two air ambulances did not leave Stockholm until 30 December.

Analysts have warned that the country’s Social Democratic government could pay the price for its perceived slow response to the crisis when Swedes go to the polls in national elections next year.
 
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There´s an article in this morning´s Aftonbladet. I have translated it.

Victoria cries at coffins.

They were not able to hold back the tears. Both Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine cried openly while relatives said their farewells to their cherished ones. Shortly before 3:30 this morning, there was a ceremony for the six dead at Arlanda. The ceremony was held privately without microphones which was the wish of the relatives. Arm in arm, they stood and listened to Archbishop Hammar give a parting word to the deceased. Then the prime minister and the speaker of the Parliament talked to the relatives. When there was time for a separate farewell the relatives walked to the coffins and laid roses on them. Then neither Crown Princess Victoria nor Princess Madeleine were able to hold back tears. They cried openly and were drying off their tears. Victoria had arrived at Arlanda late yesterday evening. She had cancelled her holiday in Kenya. She had just arrived in Stockholm and only had enough time to change her clothes and return to Arlanda.
 

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Here´s the article from this morning´s Expressen:

Victoria in tears at Arlanda.

Victoria broke down into tears tonight. She was interrupted during her vacation in Kenya and she returned, as swift as lightning, home to Sweden to face the relatives of those who perished in the catastrophe. Darkly-clad and with serious eyes, she faced the coffins which had travelled halfway around the globe. In these last couple of weeks, King Carl XVI Gustaf had had several occasions to make known his views known in newspapers and on TV. Such a thing or anything like this is very extraordinary. Tonight the whole family was in place at Arlanda including Crown Princess Victoria.

They were there to have an emotional rendezvous with the victims and relatives of this disaster. Crown Princess Victoria fell into tears during the ceremony. Both she and the others in the Royal Familly have been greatly affected by this disaster and have made a dramatic statement of support to the ones who have survived.(I guess so. A strong showing. Being visible in public. I suppose). The Royal Couple and the Royal Children have friends themselves who were in the region when the deadly-wave arrived on the day after Christmas. Therefore, it goes without saying to the families that were at Arlanda airport that they would participate in and organized the memorial service that would honor the first Swedes to return early this morning.

Crown Princess Victoria´s vacation in Kenya was interrupted because of this catastrophe. She return directly home to Sweden and arrived to put herself in place at Arlanda.

"The Crown Princess sends warm regards to the affected families and expresses deep sympathy with their great sorrow." it was said in the Royal Court´s Press release during the day.

During the past week, the Royal Family have engaged themselves on several occasions with the catastrophe. On Saturday day, the Royal Couple, Carl Philip and Madeleine participated in a live fundraiser on SVT and TV4. At the same time, Madeleine told Expressen that she was missing several friends:

"It is grievous. At the same time, it is important not to give up."

The King yesterday expressed his sincere thanks to the Thai people and was thinking of making a trip to Thailand to personally convey his thanks to King Bhumibol.

"In many ways, we have witnessed the great helpfulness that the Thai authorities, organizations and companies showed, particularly to the Swedish people. I have had conversations with Swedes and have been affected by their stories and it is on the behalf of them and myself, that I want to show our great appreciation."
 

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Crowprincess Victoria and Princess Madeleine were present at the arrival of the coffins of the first 6 deceased swedish to return from Thailand. Also present was prime minister Göran Persson.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,584441,00.html

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http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/0501/05/NYHETER-05s20-nyvickan-926_368.jpg
 
The coffin of Swedish people come back to Swden.Very sad.
 

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More pics from the TV show last saturday
 

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Dennism/Expressen said:
she returned, as swift as lightning, home to Sweden to face the relatives of those who perished in the catastrophe.
Hmm… It seems as Expressen has a totally different knowledge on how fast lightning works than the knowledge the rest of the world has… So 8 days is as fast as lightning? *scratching my head*
Dennism/Expressen said:
Crown Princess Victoria fell into tears during the ceremony
Who didn’t?

If anyone deserves praise on how they’ve acted in these times of mourning – it’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Siliva who acted immediately and have shown a lot of symphathy and support – not their eldest daughter who stayed on her vacation for one week after the tsunami occurred. This is simply unfair appraisal.
 
Dennism said:
Here´s the article from this morning´s Expressen:

Victoria in tears at Arlanda.

Victoria broke down into tears tonight. She was interrupted during her vacation in Kenya and she returned, as swift as lightning, home to Sweden to face the relatives of those who perished in the catastrophe. Darkly-clad and with serious eyes, she faced the coffins which had travelled halfway around the globe.
Crown Princess Victoria´s vacation in Kenya was interrupted because of this catastrophe. She return directly home to Sweden and arrived to put herself in place at Arlanda.
...
The Crown Princess sends warm regards to the affected families and expresses deep sympathy with their great sorrow." it was said in the Royal Court´s Press release during the day.

I am not sure what kind of publication Expressen is, and whether it is a very credible source known for its good journalism or not, but for anyone who has been following the story as I have here, they make it seem like Victoria dropped everything and rushed immediately home -- which is not true. We know that she remained in Kenya for eight (long) days from when the tragedy hit.

On the other hand, it seems to me that when they say "Crown Princess Victoria´s vacation in Kenya was interrupted because of this catastrophe." they make it seem like the catrosophe was a hardship upon Victoria because it cut her R&R time with her friends short, and that having to cut the long-ago planned trip was a great imposition to her.

I admit that something might be lost in the translation between how things are written or phrased here in North America versus how things are written or phrased in Sweden, but it seems like the journalist is getting a slight snub in at Victoria.

While I am glad to see her back in Sweden alongside her family, it does still feel a bit (okay, a lot) like "a little too late."
 
Alexandria said:
I am not sure what kind of publication Expressen is, and whether it is a very credible source known for its good journalism or not
*cough* *cough* *cough* The words "journalism" and "credible" in the same sentence as the name of Expressen - that's just not right... :D
 
The King, Queen and Crown Princess visited Astrid Lingren’s Children’s Hospital today.

Here are some more pictures from the late night ceremony for the returning coffins (picture 1-6 is from Svenska Dagbladet taken by Scanpix, the last on is from the Defence):
 

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My sympathies to Princess Madeleine ... hope it wasn't one of her friends that she lost who went by one final time "clothed" in the swedish flag.
 
There was a short report about that at about 6pm about that on ARD German TV. I think this report will be sent again in a redo of this program!
It will be repeated tomorrow on ARD at 10.03 tomorrow
 
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Maybe a pointless question, but shouldn't CP Victoria be next to the Queen and before her brother, or would protocol not be a factor in this type of situation?
 
As, are the parents of that Swedish lad who has apparently been kidnapped in Thailand.
thats has been proved incorrect information and I think that man has been "dropped" from the case. The boys is probably missing just like the other 1000 swedes.
 
Oh, thank goodness. I was heartsick over that report.
 
Yes, that´s true. It´s only happy in one way. But still a sad tale.
 
but his grandfather said he woul prefer him beeing kidnapped. As this would mean he is still alive!
 
mixer2002de said:
but his grandfather said he woul prefer him beeing kidnapped. As this would mean he is still alive!
yes thats one side....ofcourse its a positive thing that he might still be alive. but I wouldn´t want my son to be kidnapped and perhaps beeing "sold" in Thailand... thats just awful
 
Yennie said:
yes thats one side....ofcourse its a positive thing that he might still be alive. but I wouldn´t want my son to be kidnapped and perhaps beeing "sold" in Thailand... thats just awful
But i think thats a sign that he is in a really desperate mood and really unhappy.
 
On Saturday, all dioceses in the Church of Sweden will hold national grieving services in their cathedrals at 18:00 (6 pm). This is unique; the church has never hosted national grieving services at the same time all around the nation. The Royal Court has announced that the Royal Family intends to attend them around the country:

- The King and Princess Madeleine will attend it in the Cathedral of Uppsala
- The Queen will attend it in the Lund Cathedral
- The Crown Princess will attend it in the Skara Cathedral
- Prince Carl Philip will attend it in the Karlstad Cathedral



As everyday life starts for many people in Sweden this coming Monday 10 January (children starts pre-school, school and adults return to work) – a National Gathering for Reflection and Fellowship will be held in the City Hall of Stockholm. According to a press release, the Royal Family will attend – as will representatives from the Parliament, political parties and foreign representatives.

The ceremony will start at 11:00 AM, and last for about 45 minutes. Singing, music, poems and speeches by H.M. The King, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop is included in the programme. It will be live broadcasted on SVT, TV4 and Swedish Radio – and it is thought to provide an opportunity for people around the country at schools and work places to gather around it for a moment of reflection.
 
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