Thaksin Invests In Own Tsunami Warning System

[penzman]

....Would the police be ready to spring into action and clear the coastline? ....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't they clear the beaches (of policemen) on Dec 26th? Or was that just a rumour?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was told they fled the scene picking up people along the way.

About the warning system that would maybe (probably) transmit through Thaksin's satellite. Hasn't this same sattelite been experiencing problems over the last 2 years?

[britmaveric]

....Would the police be ready to spring into action and clear the coastline? ....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't they clear the beaches (of policemen) on Dec 26th? Or was that just a rumour?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm sure they were right next to the lifeguards that can't swim!!!!

[george]

Hasn't this same sattelite been experiencing problems over the last 2 years?

Confirmed a problem Thai technology, yes!

[joey6666]

Do I smell an election in the air???

[john b good]

wow...some pretty patronising replies coming out of people here!

if u have such distdain for the thai people then why don't u just leave? Or would u miss ur BG's and cheap fags?

"Thais? ###### lazy bastards, obviously, what with their hospitals and infastructure etc...they should obviously just get a western country to build it for them coz westerners are inherently better in every way..."

I don't really understand how u can call people who work incredibly long hours in jobs that we wouldnt dream of doing ourselves lazy...doesnt add up to me. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When does "being at work long hours" equate to hard working. You can visit any place of work in the realm and you will see people sleeping. Go to Central or Robinsons (or asnywhere else) and most of them are half asleep.

My wife's favourite pastime is sleeping. The only way to get her out of bed is to have her breakfast on the table. She hasn't worked a real days work in her life, indeed doesn't know themeaning of the word work. And she is not unique.

I admit that she is not representative of every Thai but she has many peers.

As for running an early warning system (or anything much else for that matter) you can forget it. Remember please that they had one and a half hours warning on the morning of the 26th December and what did they do "sweet f/a"

They admitted that they didn't sound the alarm because they didn't want to impact on their tourism income.

It's one thing having an early warning system but when the guy who has to press the button is a dummy and won't make a decision how's that gonna help anyone???

[john b good]

wow...some pretty patronising replies coming out of people here!

if u have such distdain for the thai people then why don't u just leave? Or would u miss ur BG's and cheap fags?

"Thais? ###### lazy bastards, obviously, what with their hospitals and infastructure etc...they should obviously just get a western country to build it for them coz westerners are inherently better in every way..."

I don't really understand how u can call people who work incredibly long hours in jobs that we wouldnt dream of doing ourselves lazy...doesnt add up to me. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry I was about to repeat myself............

Edited January 31, 2005 by john b good

[sriracha john]

Now can aTsunami warning system mean more business for Shinsat- A satellite company owned by you know who?

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Well..well...well ! Surprise surprise!

A good warning system does depend on a satellite system.

What better way to keep the bread buttered on both sides with the family, relatives, cronies, drivers and maids dripping in gold?

An independent body/council could shatter that dream....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the operative word, of course, being SHOULD

sadly, in reality, the word will be replaced by WON'T

[karenfraser18]

When I read these news clippings and then read the comments below, I am amazed at all the negative responses. Is it because you just like to hear your own voices, is there nothing positive about Thailand? I realize that nothing is perfect here, but neither is it anywhere else and things happen regardless of where you live. If I felt so much negativity about a place I would get the ###### out as soon as I could.

[sriracha john]

SMS text messages are the way in which a telecom company could become involved in the mass distribution of warning information.

Thaksin is just AIS though, so it would require rivals Orange and DTAC to kneel before him, and suckle on his proverbial teat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would envision a "monthly program service".... where customers pay AIS an excessive fee for the privilege of being on the SMS Tsunami Alert List. Say, 100 baht extra per month... and when the next tsunami hits in 50 years, the 60,000 baht people have paid into it will have their payoff. And in the meantime, AIS will have had accumulated an extra 900 BILLION baht for their vault from their 15 million customers.

Great idea.

[phuketrichard]

I also don't trust the guy.

I have since found out that from when the water FIRST started receeding it was almost 10 full minutes until the wave hit.

10 MINUTES!!!!

If there had been trained life guards on the beach ( I don't care if they can swim or not) but TRAINED, they would have known what was coming and gotten EVERYONE off the beach.

It matters not that people do not go deep into the water to have life guards on the ebach. Their purpose is to keep the beach safe!

[Humphrey Bear]

My wife's favourite pastime is sleeping. The only way to get her out of bed is to have her breakfast on the table.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you tried saying "Lets go down to the gold shop"?

[Humphrey Bear]

I also don't trust the guy.

I have since found out that from when the water FIRST started receeding it was almost 10 full minutes until the wave hit.

10 MINUTES!!!!

If there had been trained life guards on the beach ( I don't care if they can swim or not) but TRAINED, they would have known what was coming and gotten EVERYONE off the beach.

It matters  not that people do not go deep into the water to have  life guards on the ebach.  Their purpose is to keep the beach safe!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Although around Japan and the central Pacific it is a fairly common occurence, tsunami are rare in the Indian Ocean.

I would doubt that any training for lifeguards in and around Krabi / Phuket would include for the "Oh, by-the-way, in your grandfather's lifetime there was a big wave, preceded by the sea rushing out. Keep a weather-eye open for such an occurence and warn everyone to get the #### off the beach at once".

The problem with this tsunami was that everyone was completely unprepared - because they just do not happen in the Indian Ocean. Same as in the early 1800's (I think it was - can't remember too well these days) when Krakatoa erupted - between Sumatra and Java - and darkened the world for months - no-one knew what it was all about, because the volcano had not done that for 6,000 years. But if you fly over, you can see the caldera from the 1800's eruption and a far larger caldera from a previous eruption. It is several miles in diameter.

These very big earth movements are large just because they are so rare. The tectonic plates that shift easily and cause many earthquakes (I lived in Iran for a time and we had tremors six or seven times a year, but only one or two big ones in ten years - and they were not huge) relieve pressure easily. When the plates do not shift for a long time I would suggest that the pressure build-up is much greater, the release much more violent.

And dealing with the comments about negativity - I am married here, I work here. I am employed because I can organise things and see that they get done. The Thai worker is a good worker, when shown what to do. But the Thai organiser is non-existant. Many people think that they can drive a desk, but to make sure that everything gets done, and in the right order, and at the right time, is not a talent that has been brought out in many Thais. I chase my managers constantly, and question their understanding of their job-spec frequently - and have, over the years, brought together a reasonable bunch of guys. But I have fired seven for every one I have kept.

Ability to see into the future is poor (but better than Middle Eastern or Indian capability). Malaysians are better at management - Singaporeans are superb. Vietnamese are worse than Thais, Hong Kong Chinese are about up with Singaporeans. Indonesians are willing workers, but with little skill. Sri Lankans are very weak, probably due to mal-nourishment. I have worked with all, and worked in most of their countries. I have also employed many Filipinos, who are always looking for the easy (and profitable) way to do things, and are willing to spend twice as long, and twice as much, to find the easy way.

These are not 'racist prejudice' but general observations of nationalities and peoples with whom I have lived and worked. The same applies to most other posters on this board, whose experience with living alongside and with Thais is probably far greater than the politically-correct, non-resident-in-Thailand, critics.

[Insight]

Now can aTsunami warning system mean more business for Shinsat- A satellite company owned by you know who?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The system involves a tin can, twenty kilometers of string with 3 meters of slack and a bell from a budgie cage. Every time a wave of 3 meters or more rings the bell they will know a tsunami 'might' be on the way... Time enough to make sure he and family are up to the third floor. For which the satelite company will charge $3,000,000

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

$3,000,000 ? What's that in chickens?

[phuketrichard]

IN Rawaii in Phuket not one peron in a small village lost their lives.

WHY? becasue the elders saw the water going out and knew what it meant and warned everyone to run for the hills.

Get that... it was passed down from generation to generation. They saw what was happening and knew what would happen next.

Trained life guards would know that also

[Kerryd]

As far as Thailand hosting a Tsunami Warning System, and being able to effectively warn people in time, remember that after the disaster, they fired the senior Weather Forecaster for not predicting this and getting a warning out in time.

I wonder though, even if a warning had been sent out within minutes of the earthquake, how many people would have heeded the warning ?

Many of the people who would be spreading the warning would be the first ones high-tailing it out of the area (self-preservation). After all, are you going to stand on the beach, yelling a warning to everyone that a tidal wave is about to wipe you out ? Or would you be grabbing your family and heading for the hills ?

Many (most) of the tourists on the Thai beaches appear to have been Euro/Scandinavian. Would they have understood any kind of warning that may have been given ? Some crazy guy runs up to you on the beach yelling something in Thai/broken english, you'd probably ignore him.

Same for the hotels. If they got a warning, would some poor Thai desk clerk be able to call all the guests and warn them in a way they would understand ?

Remember, there was only about 1 1/2 hours from the earthquake until the waves hit. Sounds like a lot of time now, but in hindsight, everything seems much clearer.

[kreon]

As far as Thailand hosting a Tsunami Warning System, and being able to effectively warn people in time, remember that after the disaster, they fired the senior Weather Forecaster for not predicting this and getting a warning out in time.

I wonder though, even if a warning had been sent out within minutes of the earthquake, how many people would have heeded the warning ?

Many of the people who would be spreading the warning would be the first ones high-tailing it out of the area (self-preservation). After all, are you going to stand on the beach, yelling a warning to everyone that a tidal wave is about to wipe you out ? Or would you be grabbing your family and heading for the hills ?

Many (most) of the tourists on the Thai beaches appear to have been Euro/Scandinavian. Would they have understood any kind of warning that may have been given ? Some crazy guy runs up to you on the beach yelling something in Thai/broken english, you'd probably ignore him.

Same for the hotels. If they got a warning, would some poor Thai desk clerk be able to call all the guests and warn them in a way they would understand ?

Remember, there was only about 1 1/2 hours from the earthquake until the waves hit. Sounds like a lot of time now, but in hindsight, everything seems much clearer.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed! Hindsight is 20/20 vision. I might be wrong, but I think the last tsunami to hit Thailand like this one, was 300 years ago. It is a case of shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

If there was a siren on the beach 'today' everybody would run like &lt;deleted&gt;... Give it a year... or two... or more... who's gonna take any notice... Myabe they will run once... or twice... If false warnings, nobody will run after that... they will just 'look' and again wonder, why the sea is disappearing in front of their eyes...? They will find out exactly 'why' about two minutes later...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

tell the people that in indonesia, sri lanka, no mobiles, uneducated, what they suppose to do, a siren goes off, lets run, which way, to where, than you've got to watch those crooks who set-off false alamrs and rob youwehilst you're running

so now we are going to give all tourists coming into thailand phamplets, to let them now about alarms, which way to run

sorry, this was a horrific event and i do not think that most alarm systems, would have saved many lives, hate to think how many people would have died if this happend at 2.00pm, you have 5 minutes, tops, and the waves are 3 mts high

really to make this work in the poorest part of the world, you need perfect communication, they will never get this, so it well happen again, does not matter what system you put in place

au revoir

[aaaaaa]

I agree with bonkers - BTW NOT a newbie anymore ! - and others who feel bad/ disgusted/ annoyed/ ashamed / etc/ by those bad posts about THailand.

anyway, no matter what will be discussed here - local government will do what they gonna do. so, it is simply useless idle talk by those who try to critisize them.

as saying goes: "dogs barks and caravan keeps going" !

but those never satisfied - will never be in any place in the world. waste of time to argue with them. although I think it is not useless to post alternative opinions as those by bonkers and similar - at least for the sake of people who are realy new to Thailand and would be easily misled and brainwashed by negativism of loosers who never stop complaining and pouring foul abuses on everybody and everything coming into their sight.... brrrrr ! disgusting !

[RDN]

Many places, villages, in Thailand have loud speakers on poles that broadcast all sorts of news to the people - often to the annoyance of those living nearby. It wouldn't be too difficult to install this system along the beaches. They could even play the national anthem at 6 o'clock to test that the speakers were working. It would not take much effort to broadcast a simple short message in 3 or 4 languages to clear the beach if there was another wave coming. As soon as one group of people started packing up and running, the others would surely follow.

What is then needed is for a foolproof system of getting these messages played - there must be no false alarms so that people don't heed the real one, but the real warnings must be sounded without any hesitation over their effect on tourism that appeared to have played a part in the decision making process last time.

[Artisan]

When I read these news clippings and then read the comments below, I am amazed at all the negative responses. Is it because you just like to hear your own voices, is there nothing positive about Thailand? I realize that nothing is perfect here, but neither is it anywhere else and things happen regardless of where you live. If I felt so much negativity about a place I would get the ###### out as soon as I could.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Karen,

Sadly, negative comment, sarcasm and hand-wringing are characteristics of this forum. You do get the very occasional constructive input but it's as rare as hens' teeth.

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Thai prediction systems worked - their warning was censored on the risk that it might damage tourism.

(I wish I knew how to write that sentence in big red letters).

anyway...hence the soupcon of cynicism here - which I also believe is justifiable.

[RDN]

Thai prediction systems worked - their warning was censored on the risk that it might damage tourism.

(I wish I knew how to write that sentence in big red letters).

anyway...hence the soupcon of cynicism here - which I also believe is justifiable.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reply to this post to see how I did it!

(You don't actually have to hit the "Add Reply" button )

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Thailand did successfully predict a tsunami, but the warning was censored for fear it would damage tourism.........ayyyyyyy !

[mr_lob]

Many places, villages,  in Thailand have loud speakers on poles that broadcast all sorts of news to the people - often to the annoyance of those living nearby. It wouldn't be too difficult to install this system along the beaches. They could even play the national anthem at 6 o'clock to test that the speakers were working. It would not take much effort to broadcast a simple short message in 3 or 4 languages to clear the beach if there was another wave coming. As soon as one group of people started packing up and running, the others would surely follow.

What is then needed is for a foolproof system of getting these messages played - there must be no false alarms so that people don't heed the real one, but the real warnings must be sounded without any hesitation over their effect on tourism that appeared to have played a part in the decision making process last time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is an excellent idea...the text message idea may not work because:

1. most people leave their mobiles at home when going to the beach

2. text message alert would be inaudable

3. the user may be taking a swim

4. the user may be getting harrassed into buying a sarong/very ny shirt/coconut ding/pi-appun shake

The loudspeaker system, such as they use at the Muslim temples here at ungodly hours, would be very effective i'm sure.

[britmaveric]

Air Raid Siren would have cleared the beaches - universal in nature!!!!

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

That's a good idea - a great idea.

It won't happen because having all those 'hoot n' hollers' by the beach looks scary -

and they don't want to risk damaging tourism.

....plus what if some Thai jackass comes on the loudspeaker announcing that som tam is half price and every non Thai speaker on the beach FREAKS OUT !

[The_Moog]

SMS is the way to go. Its not perfect, but its modern, its Thaksin's own business line, he is au fait with the tech dialogue.

Its how people are notified in Hong Kong (so there's a peer group issue).

Air Raid sirens and loudspeakers on poles traversing the coast are too old-fashioned. (Albeit attractive nostalgia to those born in WW2 who spent childhood holidays at Butlins).

In any event. No tsunami warnings are EVER going to be issued, because the same fear-factor issues will always be there. They just have to have a swanky innovative 'system' that they can use for PR purposes to demonstrate some proactivity.

[britmaveric]

SMS is the way to go. Its not perfect, but its modern, its Thaksin's own business line, he is au fait with the tech dialogue.

Its how people are notified in Hong Kong (so there's a peer group issue).

Air Raid sirens and loudspeakers on poles traversing the coast are too old-fashioned. (Albeit attractive nostalgia to those born in WW2 who spent childhood holidays at Butlins).

In any event. No tsunami warnings are EVER going to be issued, because the same fear-factor issues will always be there. They just have to have a swanky innovative 'system' that they can use for PR purposes to demonstrate  some proactivity.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry, can't go with that argument, "its not perfect but its modern." And Air Raid Sirens have nothing to do with 'nostalgia' The war was over when I was born in 1945. Only seen/heard them in old war movies.

What is most important is what would 'work' not what something 'looks' like, surely?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dunno works well for me - I've been conditioned!!!! Use it for EMS in most western countries - remember when I was a tike in school- used it quite effectively for practice. (evacs for fallout shelters)

Edited February 1, 2005 by britmaveric

[The_Moog]

Rav you were born on 30.1.1945 - WW2 wasn't over then ! VE day and VJ day came later that year.

...anyway I digress.

Wooden poles every 200 yards up the entire Andaman coast.

Broadcasting in Thai and...........well, English of course ! Sorry French tourists

National Anthem at 8am and 6pm (actually I quite liked that idea)

I think they'll go wi-fi. Hong Kong warns via SMS. The PM prides himself on being a technocrat There won't be any copper wires. Will it be better ?- well once again they'll never ever dare to use it, so its moot.

To be honest, a series of bonfire beacons would be equally effective.

This is about looking the biz. Looking 21st century in the eyes of the world. I don't think its about the simplest way to react to tsunamis (strange as that sounds!)

[RDN]

Rav you were born on 30.1.1945 - WW2 wasn't over then ! VE day and VJ day came later that year.

...anyway I digress.

Wooden poles every 200 yards up the entire Andaman coast.

Broadcasting in Thai and...........well, English of course ! Sorry French tourists

National Anthem at 8am and 6pm (actually I quite liked that idea)

I think they'll go wi-fi. Hong Kong warns via SMS. The PM prides himself on being a technocrat There won't be any copper wires. Will it be better ?- well once again they'll never ever dare to use it, so its moot.

To be honest, a series of bonfire beacons would be equally effective.

This is about looking the biz. Looking 21st century in the eyes of the world. I don't think its about the simplest way to react to tsunamis  (strange as  that sounds!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taksin knows the world is watching and will readily criticise any solutions he may come up with - especially if they are seen to make money for his companies.

What are you going to do with SMS? Have a mobile phone every 200 yards up the Andaman coast? Who is going to answer? Who is going to go to the beach and clear everybody off?

A speaker system need not be manned - just make the appropriate noise when there is danger. Stick them on poles, electricity stands or up the trees - doesn't matter. You could stick plastic signs on the poles "Tsunami warning speaker". Everyone will know what it's for.

The tricky bit is making the decision to switch on the noise or message. None of this "mustn't upset the tourists" rubbish.

[lukamar]

Lets see you want SMS and loudspeakers. Why not go with your original ideas of Western Technology and that's sirens on poles in the Pacific rim, because it works.

I took a long look at the system in Maui last month and they have arrays of 6 to 10 radial sirens on poles powered by solar power and triggered by some sort of radio signal. They are not that close together, but look like they are strategically placed for the best effect. They have them sitting in close proximity to the best and most crowded beaches painted yellow, red or green. I didn't see any tourists fleeing in terror at their sight. Instructions are in the front of the phone book. It would be easy to supply hotels and guesthouses in Thailand with multilingual placards for the guestroom doors.