PHUKET: The Minister of the Interior, Anupong Paojinda, questioned tsunami warnings along the Andaman coast yesterday and heard that some of the tower sirens on Phuket were not longer operating.
The 2004 tsunami killed about 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean and 5400 of those deaths - about half of them tourists - came in Thailand. The only safeguard against potential destruction in another tsunami is constant preparedness.
The Governor of Phuket, Nisit Jansomwong, told the minister yesterday at a meeting with the Governors of Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong and Trang that three of Phuket's 19 tsunami warning towers needed maintenance of 100,000 baht each but there was no budget for repairs.
The present system relies on the public finding out quickly that there has been an earthquake, then being told within 10 to 20 minutes whether an evacuation is necessary.
A message would be sent from the national warning centre to local councils along the Andaman coast.
[This is fine in daylight with television and radio likely to report what's happening but Phuketwan has always questioned what might happen if a tsunami struck between 2am and 5am. Tsunamis do not work normal hours.]
The minister revealed himself to be a tsunami warning sceptic.
''How can we trust your system, life is pretty cheap,'' he said. ''Many people are not always contactable by telephone.
''Just yesterday I called the governor but I couldn't get him. He didn't pick up.
''If a tsunami warning system is based on the telephone, what guarantees are there that it will work?''
Patong Mayor Chalermlak Kebsub, one of scores of local authorities at the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, chimed in: ''Please don't worry minister, we have our own system.
''We have speaker broadcasters in every village, Then we will start telling the people to move if we reach Level 3.''
The minister, who clearly shares Phuketwan's doubts about present warning systems, fired back: ''The mayor is wrong in suggesting that i should not worry about this.
''A tsunami is a matter of life and death. Of course I am going to worry. Are you going to leave the system like this?''
[During a previous tsunami alert that sparked an evacuation, the warning motorcyclists with loudspeakers could not get through to some places because of the streams of people heading in the opposite direction.]
Signs along the coast advising which way to evacuate in a tsunami have gradually fallen into disrepair and only a small number have been replaced.
As the tsunami fades from memory, there are fewer and fewer authorities who see the need for constant drills and eternal preparedness.
Phang Nga, where more destruction occurred than on Phuket, is better prepared and some communities have their own systems.
Late yesterday afternoon, the minister attended a sea rescue drill at Patong beach and was pleased with what he saw.
A Department of Disaster Prevention and Maintenance expert from Bangkok, Thana Promduang, told Phuketwan that the successful drill involved three days of practice before the event.
''On my first day on Phuket, it was not possible to find all the equipment we needed so we had to have some sent from Krabi,'' he said.
''It is good to have so many organisations on Phuket involved in search and rescue but there was a lack of coordination and a lot of duplication.
''Now that we have had this session, we know who can do what best. The future looks better.''
He said practice drills were required each year and it was really up to resorts and other tourist related groups to provide funds for rescue services as they were the ones who brought the tourists to Phuket.
Jet-ski activity along the section of Patong beach where the drill took place was subdued yesterday. Most of the onetime swimmers' beach has been given over to jet-skis.
In a stroll further south, Phuketwan encountered a jet-ski parked on a footpath and touts pestering people on beach road to take a ride. The present system encourages jet-ski riders and discourages swimmers.
If commerce is banned, it's a mystery how jet-skis and parasailers and their touts have expanded their operations on Patong since the military government cleared commerce from most beaches last year.
The minister also listened to comments from governors yesterday about the Rohingya boatpeople but, despite his time as an Army commander in charge of border security, had nothing to say.
The 2004 tsunami killed about 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean and 5400 of those deaths - about half of them tourists - came in Thailand. The only safeguard against potential destruction in another tsunami is constant preparedness.
The Governor of Phuket, Nisit Jansomwong, told the minister yesterday at a meeting with the Governors of Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong and Trang that three of Phuket's 19 tsunami warning towers needed maintenance of 100,000 baht each but there was no budget for repairs.
The present system relies on the public finding out quickly that there has been an earthquake, then being told within 10 to 20 minutes whether an evacuation is necessary.
A message would be sent from the national warning centre to local councils along the Andaman coast.
[This is fine in daylight with television and radio likely to report what's happening but Phuketwan has always questioned what might happen if a tsunami struck between 2am and 5am. Tsunamis do not work normal hours.]
The minister revealed himself to be a tsunami warning sceptic.
''How can we trust your system, life is pretty cheap,'' he said. ''Many people are not always contactable by telephone.
''Just yesterday I called the governor but I couldn't get him. He didn't pick up.
''If a tsunami warning system is based on the telephone, what guarantees are there that it will work?''
Patong Mayor Chalermlak Kebsub, one of scores of local authorities at the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, chimed in: ''Please don't worry minister, we have our own system.
''We have speaker broadcasters in every village, Then we will start telling the people to move if we reach Level 3.''
The minister, who clearly shares Phuketwan's doubts about present warning systems, fired back: ''The mayor is wrong in suggesting that i should not worry about this.
''A tsunami is a matter of life and death. Of course I am going to worry. Are you going to leave the system like this?''
[During a previous tsunami alert that sparked an evacuation, the warning motorcyclists with loudspeakers could not get through to some places because of the streams of people heading in the opposite direction.]
Signs along the coast advising which way to evacuate in a tsunami have gradually fallen into disrepair and only a small number have been replaced.
As the tsunami fades from memory, there are fewer and fewer authorities who see the need for constant drills and eternal preparedness.
Phang Nga, where more destruction occurred than on Phuket, is better prepared and some communities have their own systems.
Late yesterday afternoon, the minister attended a sea rescue drill at Patong beach and was pleased with what he saw.
A Department of Disaster Prevention and Maintenance expert from Bangkok, Thana Promduang, told Phuketwan that the successful drill involved three days of practice before the event.
''On my first day on Phuket, it was not possible to find all the equipment we needed so we had to have some sent from Krabi,'' he said.
''It is good to have so many organisations on Phuket involved in search and rescue but there was a lack of coordination and a lot of duplication.
''Now that we have had this session, we know who can do what best. The future looks better.''
He said practice drills were required each year and it was really up to resorts and other tourist related groups to provide funds for rescue services as they were the ones who brought the tourists to Phuket.
Jet-ski activity along the section of Patong beach where the drill took place was subdued yesterday. Most of the onetime swimmers' beach has been given over to jet-skis.
In a stroll further south, Phuketwan encountered a jet-ski parked on a footpath and touts pestering people on beach road to take a ride. The present system encourages jet-ski riders and discourages swimmers.
If commerce is banned, it's a mystery how jet-skis and parasailers and their touts have expanded their operations on Patong since the military government cleared commerce from most beaches last year.
The minister also listened to comments from governors yesterday about the Rohingya boatpeople but, despite his time as an Army commander in charge of border security, had nothing to say.
I'm sure Police boss Somyot can fix this in 30 days. Just like the Policeman caught with the gun on the plane case, Thaksin's police rank and of course the Colin Vard case.
Posted by Arun Muruga on September 12, 2015 20:46