Tsunami Victims Ready To Sue USA And Thailand

[george]

Tsunami Victims Ready to Sue US and Thailand

Victims of the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed much of the South Asian coastline last December are reportedly preparing a lawsuit in New York against the US Bureau of Meteorology and the Thai government for failing to warn them about the earthquake.

Lawyers for 15 Austrian and four German tsunami victims announced in the Austrian capital Vienna yesterday (February 15) that the case is not primarily concerned with compensation, but aims to reveal the negligence of those sued over the issue. The lawyers asserted that the Washington-based US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii did not warn the countries on the Indian Ocean in time despite records of the earthquake.

The case alleges that the NOAA and Thailand authorities recorded the epicenter and size of the earthquake within 15 minutes, but they did not inform the countries which border on the Indian Ocean.

--Anadolu News Agency 2005-02-16

[britmaveric]

What a joke- another bloody frivolous lawsuit! I'm only surprised it took this long.

[Nam Kao]

Scumbags

>>>>not primarily concerned with compensation

Ya right, BS !!

[Digger]

Will be interesting to see how this plays out and what if it goes to court actually gets revealed. Might become more embarrasing for the Thai Govt than anyone else. I also read I think in the BKK Post today that Accor is named in the lawsuit for building a hotel on a quake line - this sounds beyond belief to me - odds are they had nothing to do with the building, they will just manage the property for the owner.

[tuky]

Lets hope this doesn't get out of hand. However a little shake up might be good for Thailand, that is instead of being scared of losing tourists only, a lawsuit might help them think about the actual people as well.

[britmaveric]

Sadly lawyers will be the only ones making dosh out of any lawsuits!

[The_Moog]

Depends on your jurisdiction....

but yeah, judgement or settlement is possible.

The quake was well known about 1 hr before the tsunami -

Negligence ? why not? Worse cases have prevailed in trial.

Doesn't look good for hotel chains on the published evidence.

ps I'd sue Sofitel's ass off.

Edited February 16, 2005 by The_Moog

[Koeloe]

LOL...the sewers of all sewers "USA" are sewed......not that it is a good thing, but somewhere it is ok.....just to know for the dudes that they aren't ruling the world..

[TominBangkok]

Lets hope this doesn't get out of hand. However a little shake up might be good for Thailand, that is instead of being scared of losing tourists only, a lawsuit might help them think about the actual people as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well said!

[LaoPo]

See it from the other side....

what IF there would have been a warning???

The victims would not have lost their loved-ones, Daddy, Mama, children, friends....

I think it's a good test to see if they can 'nail' the US Bureau and the TH Government (the last KNEW there was a warning...and decided to do nothing...)

LaoPo

[britmaveric]

Suing a Govt is laffable! I'd say even if there was liability they'll never get a pro judgement.

[Shola]

See it from the other side....

what IF there would have been a warning???

The victims would not have lost their loved-ones, Daddy, Mama, children, friends....

I think it's a good test to see if they can 'nail' the US Bureau and the TH Government (the last KNEW there was a warning...and decided to do nothing...)

LaoPo

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I agree LaoPo, The Tsunami WAS known about well ahead of time, but no one bothered to contact the countries in jeopardy.

I for one think they have a case.

[walg]

i am thinking of suing Thaksin personally for all the expensive phone calls i recieved over christmas from friends (300 pounds), for the car i hired to rescue my friends from phi phi (35 pounds) and all the extra beers i drank to calm my nerves (500 pounds).

If Thanksin wins then i will consider sueing Poseidon!

I am only interested in money!

[The_Moog]

Plaintiffs will win - 100%. Info was on USGS before tsunami hit.

Reasonable inference. They already admitted, 'Don't want to screw tourism'

I'd sue.

I lost a friend (but im not going to sue for her) Moog gets nowt. Still poor.

[DragonLad]

Even if they did get a warning, Would they even have listened to it?? Also how far could they have gotten?? according to what I have read this Tsunami was travelling 500 miles an hour?? Or am I wrong?

I also have this to say the Cayman Islands also had a Tsunami during the United States Hurricane season and I didn't see a single report on it, My Grandmother is from there and she was wondering why it was not reported at all.

I guess 2 People dying is not enough to have a major story on.

these people don't want compensation, that's funny

Edited February 16, 2005 by DragonLad

[Dakhar]

Ok,

So America should get sued because they have a technology that others do not have.... makes sense. Tell you what... to all those other nations that lack the technology... America has just decided to pull the plug on their warning system. Now nobody has it, makes everything fair, Eh?

[JJDinsay]

This lawsuit is a joke. They want compensation, this is not about teaching any country a lesson. NOAA knew, doesn't mean they are liable. A Tsunami warning system was built for the Pacific Ocean, maybe countries in SEA or Indian ocean or whatever should have spent a few hundred million dollars to build their own and not rely on NOAA. Thailand can afford it, Malaysia can afford it, India has nuclear weapons and has a surplus budget so they can definitely afford it. Why sue NOAA? Is the US the only country that can detect earthquakes? Japan which is closer than the US to the region is not responsible, they have technology that can detect earthquakes also? What a joke.

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Pfffffffft !

LITIGATE !

The Great Sauron was on Thai visa dot com twenty five and a half minutes before the tsunami hit.

Warning you all about ...........big queer quakes in Aceh.

I'll testify...for free.

......get these hoteliers to pay up for their lazy indolence. They can pass it on to the Thai....AHEM.."""""Government""""""". (.....(does it govern? or just feather its own nest)

Let justice be done for those who have lost loved ones - their toddlers, their babes in arms - ,i've seen their pix at Phuket airport - I cried- I have tears in my eyes for these people .....sod Thaksin, ....political spindrifter..

[RDN]

Even if they did get a warning,  Would they even have listened to it??  Also how far could they have gotten??  according to what  I have read this Tsunami was travelling 500 miles an hour??  Or am I wrong?...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you're getting mixed up here. The "shock wave" may travel at 500 mph, but didn't you see the pictures of the water hitting the beaches? That speed was only 10s of miles an hour - and it doesn't matter anyway how fast the water was coming, it's how much time people had to get to high ground that was important. Just five minutes would have saved thousands of lives.

[DragonLad]

Even if they did get a warning,  Would they even have listened to it??  Also how far could they have gotten??   according to what  I have read this Tsunami was travelling 500 miles an hour??  Or am I wrong?...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you're getting mixed up here. The "shock wave" may travel at 500 mph, but didn't you see the pictures of the water hitting the beaches? That speed was only 10s of miles an hour - and it doesn't matter anyway how fast the water was coming, it's how much time people had to get to high ground that was important. Just five minutes would have saved thousands of lives.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It Looked Faster than 10's of miles an hour, and even if their was a warning. I watched video of people just standing in it's path!!! isn't that enough of a warning when you see alot of water coming at you!!!!.

I also read reports that people were watching the water getting sucked out into the ocean and If I saw that I would think twice of staying near the beach.

In the end these people are suing the US?? and Thailand but don't want any compensation. Then why are they doing it?? To make a point? Maybe the point that there vacation was ruined by mother nature??

[mr_lob]

essentially these mother f*ckers are claiming against what? mother nature? may they be struck down by lightning.

even if they are successful, it will be interesting to see where they deposit the potential millions of $$$ they win - then we will know where their hearts really are....

[DragonLad]

essentially these mother f*ckers are claiming against what? mother nature? may they be struck down by lightning.

even if they are successful, it will be interesting to see where they deposit the potential millions of $$$ they win - then we will know where their hearts really are....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They get millions and then build houses in Thailand near the beach. Makes sense eh??

[HumbleFlyer]

Austria and Germany...File suit against your own gov.... How abuot some Nazi camps for those ######s!

File suit because the governments allowed you to depart on a commercial carrier to a place that was in danger...I don't think so...Black list the sorry areses from

Thailand. Where can we e-mail the thai government to make that recommendation?

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Sueing time is nigh !!!

Idiot Thais couldn't be arzzholed to send out warnings "oops, might damage tourism:"

Thousands of millions of dollars must be paid... by T Shinawatra.

Cheque or cash is ok.

Quake hit my building an hour and three quarters before the the wave struck.

Sauron posted tout de suite..who listened?..(who ever listens to Sauron?) None.

I'll testify.

[Ajarn]

Suing a Govt is laffable! I'd say even if there was liability they'll never get a pro judgement.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And maybe it's not even the point of the suit to collect compensation or court judgement. It could be simply to try to force Thailand to definately create some kind of warning system for the future through fear of a court process... Pretty common practice, it seems to me.

Some lawyers might even do it pro bono publico.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Ajarn

[Dickie]

If I'm remembering this right the situation was known beforehand and the meteorological people DID try to get the message out but, without a pre-existing system of communication, could not do so. The fault, if there is any, lies not with the US or those people monitoring the situation, but with the governments who failed to set up at least a method of quickly dispersing the information to the regions in need of it.

The Thai government may well be at fault and I'm prepared to believe the plaintiffs are not looking for compensation from THEM. The US organisation is, in my opinion, not at fault but is US and, therefore, so rich they can afford to be shafted for a few million yankiebucks.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Dickie

[DragonLad]

The Thai government may well be at fault and I'm prepared to believe the plaintiffs are not looking for compensation from THEM. The US organisation is, in my opinion, not at fault but is US and, therefore, so rich they can afford to be shafted for a few million yankiebucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How can any government be at fault when this was act of mother nature??

Edited February 16, 2005 by DragonLad

[The_Moog]

Let justice be done for those who have lost loved ones - their toddlers, their babes in arms - ,i've seen their pix at Phuket airport - I cried- I have tears in my eyes for these people .....sod Thaksin, ....political spindrifter..

Well, i'm not sure it was Thaksin's fault, but I saw these photos - they broke my heart too, - the scale of loss was avoidable, warnings could have been issued if people had been paying attention.

Is there liability in a legal sense ? -, there could well be. Perhaps. Class Action Suits are perhaps not so frivolous.

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

How can any government be at fault when this was act of mother nature??

Sorry, irrelevant in Court.

....Because we pay taxes, and we paid for a meterological centre and the Government didn't bother to discharge its responsibilities- warnings were withheld for fear of 'hurting tourism'...they already admitted it (not too bright - where were your lawyers?!)

LEGAL LIABILITY ....one hundred per cent.

and if its found that hotel chains knew about the quake and didn't get the message out. NEGLIGENCE !

Edited February 16, 2005 by The_Eye_Of_Sauron

[britmaveric]

Well attempts were made by NOAA to alert however the problem lies who were they to call especially on a Sunday? (if i recall they had problems reaching govt officials)