Lau G, Tan W F, Tan P H
Centre for Forensic Medicine, Health Sciences Authority, 11 Outram Road, Singapore 169078.
Ann Acad Med Singap. 2005 Jun;34(5):341-51.
This paper describes the international disaster victim identification (DVI) response mounted in Thailand, with particular reference to Singapore's contribution to this process, in the wake of the Asian tsunami of 26 December, 2004, which devastated parts of more than 10 countries in and around the Indian Ocean and claimed more than 200,000 lives. Although Singapore was unscathed by this natural calamity, over 30 Singaporean visitors were counted amongst the thousands of deceased victims, mostly in Thailand. The systematic application of forensic pathology, forensic dentistry, DNA profiling, and fingerprinting to human identification, especially of the bodies of various nationalities that were in advanced states of putrefaction, was crucial to the entire DVI process. The authors perceive that the resource implications arising from such a disaster, which is unprecedented in both its scale and reach in the international history of DVI, are immense. Forward planning, adequate funding and international cooperation are essential to mounting an effective response to any major mass disaster of the future.
本文描述了泰国开展的国际灾害遇难者身份识别（DVI）行动，特别提及了新加坡在这一过程中的贡献。2004年12月26日发生的亚洲海啸席卷了印度洋及其周边10多个国家的部分地区，造成20多万人死亡。尽管新加坡未受这场自然灾害影响，但在数千名遇难者中，有30多名新加坡游客，其中大多数在泰国。将法医病理学、法医牙科学、DNA分析和指纹识别系统应用于人类身份识别，特别是对处于高度腐败状态的不同国籍尸体的身份识别，对整个DVI行动至关重要。作者认为，这场灾难在DVI国际历史上的规模和影响范围都是前所未有的，由此产生的资源问题非常巨大。预先规划、充足的资金和国际合作对于有效应对未来任何重大大规模灾难至关重要。
