Memories may not be forever, but tattoos are.

These body decorations can be a permanent reminder of something you want to remember, or something you feel you need to remember.

Many survivors of the tsunami disaster that claimed thousands of lives in December are getting tattoos to commemorate the life-changing event.

Survivors in Thailand are getting tattoos to remind them of the disaster they were lucky enough to survive.

Tattoo designs range from a simple phrase, such as “Tsunami 2004” to intricate designs with the date of the deadly wave integrated into the picture.

Many of those receiving the tattoos are not native to the country, but visitors and tourists from countries including Australia, Canada, Sweden, Singapore and Italy.

Tattoo artists in Phuket, Thailand, have designed more than 20 memorial tattoos for people wishing to commemorate the historic event.

Some people feel that large, obvious tattoos cheapen the memory, so some are smaller than others. The tattoos have been placed on a multitude of body parts.

In addition to creating a living memorial, tattoos have a connection to this natural disaster in other ways. In some cases, the bodies of victims were too badly mutilated to be recognized. In these cases, distinguishing marks, such as tattoos, could be used by families to identify the bodies of their loved ones.