ONE of Phuket's tsunami warning towers failed to sound when the island's siren system was put to its annual test today. Complaints were flowing this evening from other Andaman provinces.

The island's tower at Nai Harn did not work because someone had stolen wiring, Phuketwan was told. This reporter was nearby when the alarm failed to sound today.

The Mayor of tessaban Rawai council, Aroon Sorod, said that he would like the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to check more regularly. The same tower failed to sound last year, Khun Aroon said.

In Phang Nga, there were reports of one tower sounding again - after the official drill, sparking fears of a real, exquisitely-timed tsunami. In Krabi, there were also complaints - this time from the provincial governor.

At Rawai, close to Nai Harn, the run went well. Elsewhere, 1500 people staged a flight to safety down Soi Bangla from Patong beach when the siren sounded on schedule.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Wiboon Sanawepong, supervised proceedings. He said he thought the tower sounds needed to be louder.

''Phuket also needs a night-time drill at some stage,'' he said. ''A tsunami could come at any time, day or night.'' There should also be a Plan B in case the tower alarms did not work, he said.

The Director of the DDPM, Phanu Yamsri, said the loudness of the alarms presented a technical problem, especially if a wind blew the sound out to sea. The intention is for the sound to be heard 1.5 kilometres from the towers.

Phuket has 19 tsunami towers, with a total of 127 along the Andaman coast. American disaster expert Robert X. Fogarty found awareness of the December 26, 2004, tsunami fading when he surveyed tourists in Phuket earlier this year.

Mr Fogarty, founder of the evacuteer.org site, formed the impression that most tourists he questioned along Phuket's beaches even failed to notice the blue and white tsunami hazard signs prominently displayed along the coast.

A real tsunami warning early one morning while Mr Fogarty was on Phuket led some resorts to evacuate their guests, while others chose not to disturb them. The difference in approaches led to concerns about what might have happened if the alert had proved to be genuine.

In Thailand, about 5400 people died in the tsunami. About 220,000 were killed around the Indian Ocean, with 160,000 of those deaths in the Indonesian province of Aceh.