Flashback 1998 - The
tsunami warning
Smith Thamsaroj (or Samit Thammasarot), the former Director
General of the Meteorological Department, will be organizing
a new warning system for natural disasters for the country:
Warning
system to be built - Bangkok Post, December 31, 2004
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday put Smith Thamsaroj,
a former Meteorological Department chief, in charge of establishing
an advanced seismic and tidal wave warning system for the whole
nation...
WARNING
SYSTEM: Veteran forecaster Smith recruited - The Nation,
December 31, 2004
The government will appoint Smith Tumsa-roch to take charge
of installing an advance warning system for tsunamis in a bid
to prevent a repeat of the catastrophe triggered by Sundays
killer waves, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday.
Smith, a former director-general of the Meteorological Department,
has been warning about the possibility of giant waves striking
Thailands west coast since 1993, following a wave disaster
in Papua New Guinea. His warning fell on deaf ears however,
and many ridiculed him, suggesting he was crazy...
What the Post fails to mention and The Nation
alludes to is the 1998 incident where Thamsaroj tried to issue
a tsunami warning for Phuket. At that time the prediction caused
panic and commotion. After a few days the publicity died down
with Mr. Sanit being criticized for alarming people and hurting
tourism.
After the tsunami hit last week, he has been much in demand
for interviews on TV and in newspapers. From ThaiRath,
December 27, 2004: "Mr. Samit Thammasarot, the former
director general of the Meteorological Department, warned of
the danger of tsunamis in the Andaman Sea and south of Thailand
on August 16, 1998." On the same day, he was interviewed
on Channel 9 and warned of further aftershocks and suggested
a float-based warning system for the Indian Ocean.
Here are some articles from the time when Thamsaroj first
issued his tsunami warnings in 1998:
Huge tidal wave reports dismissed - Bangkok Post,
August 22, 1998
Provincial authorities yesterday rejected news reports that
a huge tidal wave may hit the western coast of the South after
some 500 people in Kathu District fled to a hill during a heavy
downpour on Thursday night...
Tourism businesses slam prediction of tidal wave - Bangkok
Post, August 19, 1998
The senior official who predicted a tsunami would strike
the western coast faced a tidal wave of criticism from tourist
businesses yesterday...
Tsunami fear unfounded, say officials - Bangkok Post,
August 15, 1998
The Meteorological Department said yesterday that rumours
of a tsunami about to sweep the west coast of southern Thailand
are unfounded, and appealed to the public for calm...
False alarm on tsunami - Bangkok Post, August
14, 1998
Families started leaving their seaside homes yesterday after
a false alarm that a tsunami was expected to strike the west
coast...
And here is an interesting mention of a tsunami that hit Thailand's
east coast in 1965:
Disaster centre planned - Bangkok Post, March
1 1997
The Interior Ministry has agreed to build a 35-million-baht
public disaster prevention centre at flood- prone Laem Talumpuk
peninsula in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The proposal has
recently received the green light from the National Civil Disaster
Prevention Committee, which is chaired by Permanent Secretary
for Interior Chuwong Chayabutr, a source revealed yesterday.
Under the proposal, the ministry will spend five million baht
from the 1997 budget and another 30 million baht from the 1998
budget to build the centre, which can accommodate 1,500 people.
Laem Talumpuk in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Pak Phanang district
is prone to floods. The area was hit by a tidal wave in 1965
which claimed the lives of over 500 people. Currently, there
are seven disaster prevention centres in Chiang Mai, Lamphang,
Phitsanulok, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Surat Thani, and Songkhla
provinces. These centres are manned by officials and volunteers
and equipped with disaster relief aids and equipment... |