From today's Nation....

The public will not hear if the Meteorological Department failed in its duty to warn people that December’s devastating tsunami was heading towards Thailand, the chief of the investigation into the disaster said yesterday.

What’s more, Smith Tham-masaroj said a report into the incident might never be written. Smith said he would conceal a tsunami report from the public

out of patriotism in order to protect national interests, as some 60 foreign relatives of Western tourists killed by the massive waves in southern Thailand might use the information in their lawsuit against the government.

“I will not and I cannot reveal it - and the report may never be published... No way, because it has become a lawsuit issue and could cause much damage,” he said.

He added that billions of baht could be lost if the Meteorological Department was found guilty of failing to warn the public and tourists in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.

Last month, 19 relatives from Austria and Germany filed a lawsuit in New York against the government for failing to provide a timely tsunami warning. “They won’t have the information to sue us,” Smith said.

Earlier yesterday, he told an audience of about 1,000 in a speech on lessons from the tsunami that he believed many lives would have been spared by the Meteorological Department listening to only 10 per cent of his suggestions concerning the possibility of a tsunami hitting the Andaman coast in southern Thailand.

By heeding his advice, he said the department would have had one hour and 15 minutes to act before the tsunami hit. “I don’t know how to punish him,”

said Smith, referring to the then director-general of the Meteorological Department, Suparerk Tansriratwong.

“Did he know about [the impending tsunami]? I can’t tell you the result, because 60 foreigners are eyeing to sue [the government].

“That’s why I can’t close the case, and I don’t know when I can close it.” Smith acknowledged that the government might be in a Catch-22 situation, because if it claimed the department did not know the tsunami was headed for Thailand, it could be grounds for a dereliction-of-duty lawsuit.

If it were found that officials

knew the tsuna-mi was on its way but did not warn the public, it would also lead to a lawsuit, he said.

“Either way, they can sue us. And these farangs [Westerners] love to sue,” he said.

One day after the tsunami struck, one of the four officers in charged of the Meteorological Department told The Nation that senior officials had toyed with the idea of issuing a warning the morning of the tsunami.

They decided not to because they feared such a warning would have negative repercussions on the tourism industry in the event a tsunami did not occur, the official said.

I think they are correct to keep quiet, rather than risk self-incrimination.

(though the foreign legal pleading does call for information to be made available. So this tactic may fail)

Damned if they do... Damned if they dont...

Lets just hope valuable lessons have been learned...

Tsunami Report Won’t See Light Of Day:,

Well if the report wont be public its probably something there to hide.

With other words they could have warned!

Lets just hope valuable lessons have been learned...

Maybe its time to learn to accept, instead to learn about ways to go around every

failure.

This guy, Mr 'Smith' seems about as bumptious as the Mr Smith in the Matrix.

He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut too. He's just made another silly admission.

Smith acknowledged that the government might be in a Catch-22 situation, because if it claimed the department did not know the tsunami was headed for Thailand, it could be grounds for a dereliction-of-duty lawsuit.

If it were found that officials knew the tsunami was on its way but did not warn the public, it would also lead to a lawsuit, he said.

“Either way, they can sue us. And these farangs [Westerners]love to sue,” he said.

Who needs a trial when the Defendent is telling the Prosecution how to win its case.

The plaintiffs are now going to petition the Court to sub-poena the documents anyway.

Smith should not have even alluded to their existence.