The deputy director general of the disaster prevention department said on Monday, greater than a decade after the region was hit by a tsunami that killed 226,000 people, as many as 80 percent of Thailand’s tsunami warning system requires maintenance.
A magnitude 9.15 earthquake struck the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia on December 26, 2004, triggering an enormous tsunami that caused widespread destruction and lack of life across the Indian Ocean.
Popular tourist destination Thailand was hit the toughest, together with Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. Many of the 5,395 people killed in Thailand were foreign tourists vacationing on the shores of idyllic islands and beaches.
Thailand’s warning system includes warning towers, a network of offshore detection buoys and public announcement systems.
“You need to take care of about 70-80 percent, or about 2,000 pieces. We have been building this system since 2006, so it needs to be maintained,” said Kobchai Boonyaorana, deputy director general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, referring to the varied devices.
“The batteries should be replaced,” he added.
“I have ordered that this must be done urgently, especially in the southern region, which is a tourist region. There may be places where the equipment is damaged, but they are few and far between.”
Prasert Kunneang, public relations specialist on the National Disaster Warning Center in Bangkok, said the tsunami warning system is tested each day and Thailand is ready within the event of a future tsunami.
“If there’s a tsunami tomorrow, the warning system will work,” Prasert said.
Thanks to its picturesque beaches, gilded palaces and temples, and mild climate, Thailand stays a favourite destination for foreign tourists.
Tourism accounts for 12 percent of Thailand’s economic output and is a rare brilliant spot for Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which has remained slower than others in recent times.
Prasert said other types of communication, including television and radio announcements, shall be used to warn people of the tsunami while equipment is being maintained.
