The Chinese government awarded young Chinese volunteers Thursday for their work on Thailand's tsunami-ravaged islands.

The 18 award winners, including 10 divers, spent ten days picking up debris on Phuket, Thailand's largest island.

As the only professional salvage team in Phuket, Chinese volunteers cleared 180,000 square meters of seabed on the four islands near Phuket. The collected rubbish and debris filled 29 motorboats.