Banlue Choosin has been monitoring the seas around Thailand's southern Phang Nga province for signs of abnormality for nearly two decades. The 59-year-old is a former fisherman, and his experience and knowledge of the sea are why his coastal community in Ban Nam Khem village relies on him to monitor nearby waters after earthquakes.

Tsunami-hit nations will next week commemorate the more than 220,000 people who died in the Boxing Day disaster two decades ago, when huge waves tore into coastal communities around the Indian Ocean.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a catastrophic event that claimed over 220,000 lives.