Danish royals visit Thailand villagersDenmark's crown prince and the country's prime minister on Saturday visited a shelter for hundreds of villagers left homeless when the December 26 tsunami battered the coast of southern Thailand.
Frederik, his wife, Australian-born Crown Princess Mary, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Economics and Business Minister Bendt Bendtsen were welcomed by volunteers and Thai villagers at a temporary shelter for the largely impoverished victims.
The Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 5,300 and left 2,900 missing in Thailand, most of them in the resort town of Khao Lak and nearby fishing villages in Phang Nga province, 120km north of the resort island of Phuket. Nearly half the dead were vacationing foreigners.
The royals watched fishermen repairing their tsunami-damaged boats and fishing nets and children at the camp performed traditional Thai dances.
The official delegation, together with 210 relatives of the victims, also attended a private memorial service in a hotel in Khao Lak. Thirty-six Danes have been confirmed dead and 10 are still missing
The royals leave Thailand on Sunday for an official visit to Japan.
On Sunday, Fogh Rasmussen will meet with Danish police who are assisting in the identification of tsunami victims. He is also to meet with his Thai counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, and have an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Monday.