This paper analyzes the social implications of relief efforts initiated by various actors involved in the Tsunami disaster in Thailand, particularly in the area of livelihood recovery. Its aims are (1) to document key events and observations in the first five months since the occurrence of the Tsunami, and (2) to analyze problems of recovery programs and aid deliveries to draw lessons for the future. One of the key findings is that the pre-existing social problems such as land tenure and legal entitlement of migrant laborers have strongly influenced the distribution of aid provided by outsiders. The paper demonstrates that outsiders’ wellintended assistance may even strengthen the pre-existing inequality in resource distribution. Also notable is that the sectionalism of the government hinders effective recovery policy. Some other issues that deserve further research are also highlighted.

In Turkey, the policy of housing recovery is supply of permanent houses by National Government for owner-occupier. Those houses are constructed in suburbs apart from the damaged built-up area. Since twenty months after earthquake, many people moved to the new permanent houses. However, a few houses were rebuilt in the damaged areas because of both height regulation for rebuilding and difficult negotiation of condominium owners. In this study, we clarify the sufferer's behavior for individual recovery, effect on housing relocation and their adaptation of the changed environment. The main results are shown as follows: 1) sufferer's behavior for recovery of housing and economic activity are polarized because there are no job opportunity in the suburbs. 2) the residents are very various in the permanent houses, because many owners want to rent for the others who did not get houses in the old town where a few houses are rebuilt.