Phuket Full-Scale Tsunami Drill Not To Be Announced In Russian

[george]

Phuket full-scale tsunami drill not to be announced in Russian

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Phuket will hold its annual full-scale tsunami evacuation and marine rescue drill at Karon Beach on February 21, but the tsunami warning messages will not be played in Russian, the Phuket Gazette was told today.

“The Ministry of Interior requires the six Andaman provinces in the tsunami hazard zone to hold a tsunami evacuation and marine rescue drill at least once a year,” Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada explained.

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“Karon Beach was chosen for the drill because it is a popular tourist destination in Phuket,” he added.

The drill will be held in two stages, at 9:30am and 1pm, in order to test different emergency response teams and their response times.

To announce the drill, the normal tsunami warning and cancellation messages will be played, San Jantharawong, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office, confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.

However, the messages will not be broadcast in Russian.

As previously reported by the Gazette, the tsunami warning message (click play) and the cancellation message (click play) are announced in Thai, English, German, Chinese and Japanese.

The lack of Russian language messages has raised serious concerns among many of Phuket’s leading tourism figures, most notably since Russia is now the second-largest source market for tourists visiting Phuket (story here).

To prevent confusion similar to that which followed the tsunami scare on April 11 last year, when the warning towers along the Andaman seaboard sounded the alarm to evacuate, officers will tomorrow begin erecting signs in Thai and English to announce the drill, Mr San said.

“I talked with Karon Municipality today, asking them to help announce the drill to local residents and tourists in the area. We will also post signs and have sound trucks announce the drill in Thai and English,” he added.

Referring to the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck east of the Solomon Islands this morning, Bancha Singsa of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in Bangkok said, “That quake was 7,700km from Phuket, too far to have an effect on us. It might affect Japan and Hawaii.”

Nevertheless, Mr Bancha said, “We don’t know when a tsunami might strike Thailand again, that’s why the regular practice of tsunami evacuation is needed.”

The earthquake that struck the Solomon Islands triggered a tsunami warning issued across the Pacific (story here).

Hours later, a small tsunami nearly a meter tall whipped the coast of Santa Cruz Island, swamping coastal villages and killing five people, including a 10-year-old boy (story here).

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-02-06

[Boater]

They really don't like the Russians do they ! I would say most Germans who are international travels speak English but only a fraction Russians speak or understand English

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[LivinginKata]

Bit of a smack in the gob for our Russian 'friends'.

[disagree]

i remember the first time i arrived in phuket, in karon beach. the first morning there was a tsunami drill. doesn't matter that it's in 6 languages, it's hard to understand. upon calling my bud in the other room he told me it's the muay thai advertisement trucks..

10 minutes later he called me back saying it's a tsunami warning. after going back to the room 2 times to empty the safe and to not forget the cigarettes, we were stopped on the way to the roof by laughing cleaning ladies ( laughing about our amazing speed )... 'just a drill'.

the only time i had breakfast that week

[BeforeTigers]

Well, given the simple mathematical fact that there are more Russians on the beach than Germans, Chinese or Japanese, uhhhh <deleted>?

I wonder if every-single-thing my government does would look as gonzo to Thai eyes as theirs does to me.

[stockholm1995]

"However, the messages will not be broadcast in Russian."

You could call this thai racist mindset.

Do they want to create panic among Russians in phuket?

The people in charge for this drill must be retarded.

[melvinmelvin]

any realistic disaster drill need victims,

Russians being uninformed of the drill can pose as victims

[Jimi007]

Bit of a smack in the gob for our Russian 'friends'.

Have you been hanging around Brits? It seems as though the Thais aren't very found of the Russian invasion, nor am I...

[IvanLaw]

Just a thought,

Will that be regarded as a Red Alert or not?

[laocowboy2]

Most dangerous place in P. - between the hills and a busload of Russians once the sirens go off!

[bender92]

"However, the messages will not be broadcast in Russian."

You could call this thai racist mindset.

Do they want to create panic among Russians in phuket?

The people in charge for this drill must be retarded.

"Russian" is not a race. They are Caucasians.

[Guest]

Bit of a smack in the gob for our Russian 'friends'.

Have you been hanging around Brits? It seems as though the Thais aren't very found of the Russian invasion, nor am I...

There are good and bad apples from each country. Now the problem seems to be communication problems between the old powers and the new powers.

Embrace the change and adapt. The Anglo-Saxon era is coming to the end slowly but surely. World economic power has already moved and the trend will continue.

After more than few decades English will get same kind of status as French has today, used by diplomats. At the same time few other languages will become more important in the world. Both Chinese, Russian and Spanish. The default first foreign language will change from English to something else, depending of the region.

[iSabai]

Have you been hanging around Brits? It seems as though the Thais aren't very found of the Russian invasion, nor am I...

There are good and bad apples from each country. Now the problem seems to be communication problems between the old powers and the new powers.

Embrace the change and adapt. The Anglo-Saxon era is coming to the end slowly but surely. World economic power has already moved and the trend will continue.

After more than few decades English will get same kind of status as French has today, used by diplomats. At the same time few other languages will become more important in the world. Both Chinese, Russian and Spanish. The default first foreign language will change from English to something else, depending of the region.

I would tend to think that English will always be the default 2nd language. The others; Chinese, Russian, et al may become more frequently used and practiced in time, but to a lesser degree as it will take much time and effort for many to learn.

Your average "Joe Tourist" that doesn't speak the local language, or English, will just need to understand that while traveling to a place such as Thailand, that there will be a language barrier and the frustrations that go with that.

It's just as unreasonable to expect Thais to suddenly learn Russian (or whatever), as it is to expect Russians (or whomever) to suddenly learn Thai (or English). I've been here a few years and I don't speak Thai much (yeah yeah, shame on me!), but I still manage to get by quite well.

The key for both the visitors and the the visitees is to expect to have some difficulties. And to be respectful and polite when dealing with those difficulties. It's not that hard to do if you're of the mindset to do it. Having an attitude like, "Hey I'm on holiday, and I'm drunk and partying, and screw everybody else if they don't like it!" gets you nowhere fast.

Keep a sense of humour about you and have some fun with it. I was stuck in an area of the country once where I didn't intend to be, and wanted to get some food. Went to a restaurant where the menu was all in Thai and all the staff had no English at all. After struggling to understand each other, we finally sorted out some food and drinks. And there was much laughing, and a few hits and misses along the way. But we all had great fun in the process, and I ended up trying some great foods as well. Lots of smiling, and a nominal tip to show my appreciation for their help, and we were all better off from the experience. Great fun, enjoy!

Edited February 7, 2013 by iSabai

[Guest]

The start of the quotation was not mine, it did belong to Jimi007.

I have no problem with any of the nationalities. Have been in the Taiwanese cafeteria where I had to draw a man pissing to get information where is the toilet.

For me, this is very good part of living in Asia - to be able to communicate even if there is no common spoken language. Same comes to living in Thailand. I do not have words for many things at the hardware store, but still there can be an effective communication when both parties are willing to understand each other.

The problem arises when people have their minds locked up and are not willing to understand each others. This is what I'm feeling what is happening here in Phuket right now. Some people wish to keep their language status by defining others who don't speak the same language as stupid and rude. How moronic is that?

I'm not saying that English as de facto Esperanto is going to disappear in the next few years. I'm saying that English will loose it's power as the economic balance is moving away from the US and from the Europe. Those who are willing to make business with economic powers will adapt to the languages which are spoken by the people who have the most money to spend. That used to be English, but it's not going to be the same in few decades.

Therefore kids today should start learning other languages, which is actually happening already. The world changes and so should we, or we would be the old people complaining how things were better in the old days... well that will happen anyway for sure

Edited February 7, 2013 by Guest

[brianP]

The start of the quotation was not mine, it did belong to Jimi007.

I have no problem with any of the nationalities. Have been in the Taiwanese cafeteria where I had to draw a man pissing to get information where is the toilet.

For me, this is very good part of living in Asia - to be able to communicate even if there is no common spoken language. Same comes to living in Thailand. I do not have words for many things at the hardware store, but still there can be an effective communication when both parties are willing to understand each other.

The problem arises when people have their minds locked up and are not willing to understand each others. This is what I'm feeling what is happening here in Phuket right now. Some people wish to keep their language status by defining others who don't speak the same language as stupid and rude. How moronic is that?

I'm not saying that English as de facto Esperanto is going to disappear in the next few years. I'm saying that English will loose it's power as the economic balance is moving away from the US and from the Europe. Those who are willing to make business with economic powers will adapt to the languages which are spoken by the people who have the most money to spend. That used to be English, but it's not going to be the same in few decades.

Therefore kids today should start learning other languages, which is actually happening already. The world changes and so should we, or we would be the old people complaining how things were better in the old days... well that will happen anyway for sure

Time to learn CHINESE i guess?