SINGAPORE: Francis Fong was only four when waves tore through a resort in the Thai seaside town of Krabi, sweeping him and his pregnant mother away during a family holiday on Boxing Day in 2004.
Moments earlier, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean had unleashed a tsunami that would claim about 230,000 lives across more than a dozen countries.
“At that time, I think it all happened in a blur. It happened quite suddenly,” recalled Mr Fong, now 25.
“We just heard someone shouting in the distance, and then when we looked out, we saw one huge wave coming towards us,” he added.
“I was still young; I didn’t really understand what was happening. But my mum actually grabbed my hand and she started running, and that was the time the first wave hit.”
The mother-and-son pair fortunately managed to survive by clinging to a nearby rock.
For years after, the incident made Mr Fong afraid of the water. But he eventually faced his fear, learning to swim – and even representing Singapore at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
Even now, the memories can still come crashing back.
“It was quite an arduous journey,” he told CNA.
“Initially, I still remember when I was swimming, sometimes there would be sort of like panic attacks where I would actually feel I’m suddenly gasping for air as I recall what happened.
“Sometimes I would just be thinking about what happened on the day itself, and then my heart rate would go a bit faster. So I think definitely, psychologically, it did have an impact in my younger days.”
His story reflects Singapore’s growing recognition of the need to build emotional resilience within communities.
