The Local Sweden

Swedes in Thai tsunami remembrance events

Fri, 26 Dec 2014 10:26:00 +0100

The Swedish embassy and Swedish Church has organized a ceremony on the beach at Khao Lak in Thailand on Friday in remembrance of the devastating 2004 tsunami which claimed almost 228,000 lives, including over 500 Swedes.

The wave Sweden will never forget

Mon, 22 Dec 2014 18:04:00 +0100

The Local looks at how Swedes are remembering the tidal wave that shook South-East Asia exactly ten years ago, leaving 543 Swedes dead.

Swedish tourists weather Thai tsunami scare

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:08:00 +0200

The tsunami scare that followed an earth quake in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, had tourists fleeing the beaches of Thailand and Indonesia for higher grounds.

Swedish musicians to 'Jam For Japan'

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:09:00 +0100

Several Swedish musicians have agreed to take part in “Jam for Japan”– a Sunday-afternoon jam session being organized to raise money for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief, contributor Anita Badejo discovers.

Japanese band launches charity concert series in Stockholm

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:57:00 +0100

A Japanese rock group in Sweden when their homeland was struck by disaster has organised a series of charity concerts across Europe to raise money for earthquake and tsunami relief.

Japan crisis complicates Sweden's nuclear waste storage plans

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:18:00 +0100

In the thick of the Japanese nuclear crisis, Sweden is tackling the question of nuclear waste storage.

Swedes flee Japan amid quake's devastation

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 11:14:00 +0100

Many Swedes in Japan are trying to leave the country following Friday's earthquake and tsunami, while the Swedish foreign ministry reported on Saturday it had heard from all the Swedes thought to be in the area worst hit by disaster.

Bildt: Swedes in foreign disasters to pay their way

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:59:00 +0100

Swedish tourists who get caught up in natural disasters and other crises abroad will in future have to pay for their own healthcare and trips home, the government has said.

Swine flu named year's top Swedish news story

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:45:00 +0100

Swine flu beat out both the June death of Michael Jackson and the Stockholm helicopter heist in September as the top Swedish news story of 2009, according to a new study.

Swedish 'tsunami' message mystifies Irish beachcomber

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:22:00 +0100

A mysterious bottle that washed up on the shores of Ireland with a cryptic Swedish message inside has a local woman wondering if the note may have been authored by a Swede whose children perished in the 2004 tsunami.

Sweden seeks to bury tsunami tapes

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:58:00 +0200

The contentious tapes detailing data traffic from the government offices in connection with the 2004 Asian tsunami are set to be classified for 70 years, according to a new proposal.

Two Swedes missing after Samoa tsunami

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:52:00 +0200

Two young Swedes are reported to be missing after the tsunami which swept across the South Pacific islands of Samoa on Tuesday evening.

Report: Sweden's crisis readiness 'insufficient'

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:55:00 +0200

The government’s ability to govern, coordinate, and follow up on crisis preparedness is insufficient, according to the annual report of the Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO) released on Thursday.

Bildt struggles to crack Belgian nut

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:36:00 +0200

Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt is faced with a tricky conundrum as his old rival, former state secretary Lars Danielsson, emerges the only relevant applicant for the vacant ambassador post in Brussels.

Sweden promises aid for Burma cyclone victims

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:59:00 +0200

Sweden said Tuesday it would provide 15 million kronor ($2.5 million dollars) in emergency aid to Burma after tropical cyclone Nargis ripped through the impoverished nation.

State should evacuate Swedes from overseas disasters

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:57:00 +0200

The Swedish state should be responsible for evacuating Swedes from major catastrophes which occur outside of the country, like the 2004 tsunami or the war in Lebanon in 2006.

Royal medals for tsunami service

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:45:00 +0100

King Carl XVI Gustaf is to present medals to four Swedes for their service during the 2004 tsunami disaster in South East Asia, in which more than 500 Swedes were among the dead.

New CD find reawakens tsunami investigation

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:45:00 +0100

A number of previously unidentified data CDs have been found at government offices that may have important implications for an ongoing investigation into the then government's handling of the tsunami crisis in 2004.

Tearful Ambassador alerted Sweden to tsunami

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:57:00 +0200

The Swedish government failed to realize that thousands of Swedish citizens were caught up in the 2004 Asian tsunami until it received a tearful phone call from its ambassador in Bangkok on 27th December, more than 24 hours after the giant wave hit.

Danielsson tsunami story contradicted by tapes

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:16:00 +0200

The information given by former prime minister Göran Persson's most senior aide about events on the first day after the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 has been contradicted by details emerging from the Commission into the Swedish government's handling of the crisis.