Survivors and relatives of those who died in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 attended a memorial service in southern Thailand today.

The event in Phang Nag province - one of the worst affected parts of Thailand - was chaired by provincial governor Supoj Rodrueng at the Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park on December 26.

The event was attended by government executives, local leaders, residents, and families of the victims.

Photographs, flowers and offerings were laid to remember those who lost their lives in the tragedy - many of them tourists staying in hotels in the region.

The event included three simple religious ceremonies, with participants from Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian communities coming together to offer prayers for the deceased.

Candles were also lit in a sombre act of remembrance.

One of the participants, Orapin Silpaphong, who lost five family members in the tragedy, said that she joins the ceremony every year.

She said: 'Life goes on for everybody but I take the time to remember my family and others. The pain becomes less but it never goes away.

'The only comfort I have is that the tsunami raised awareness about the importance of preparing for natural disasters.'