Keep an eye on local quake fault line, disaster expert warns Phuket
Suthicha Sirirat


Dr Smith speaks at yesterday's seminar.

PHUKET: -- Controversial disaster expert Dr Smith Dharmasaroja, in Phuket yesterday (May 18), warned that Phuket and Phang Nga must keep an eye on the Klong Marui fault line in order to be ready for earthquakes.

Speaking at a seminar on mitigation of disasters such as the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Dr Smith, who is head of the board that oversees the National Disaster Warning Centre, said, “Following the earthquake in the northern part of Thailand and several movements of the earth’s crust around Thailand, I came here today to share my knowledge of the organization needed to prepare for disaster.

“Phuket and the Andaman coast area must keep an eye on the Klong Marui fault, which is an active fault that stretches across Phuket and the Andaman Sea.

“Klong Marui is a small fault, so if there is an earthquake, it will not be serious – only about 3 or 4 on the Richter Scale – but it will effect houses close to the fault.

“If we have good protection and a good warning system, lives and property in Phuket and nearby provinces will be safer and there will be no losses.

“This will require preparation for the future, as in other countries. I believe advance preparation or advance knowledge for the people or organisations involved will reduce the loss of life and property.”

In 1998 Dr Smith predicted that Phuket and the Andaman Coast would at some stage suffer a quake-generated tsunami. His remarks sparked rumours that a tsunami was already on its way, and many promptly fled for the hills.

The then-governor of the island, Chadej Insawang, along with the entire tourism industry, were furious, and Dr Smith was relieved of his post in the Thai Meteorological Department.

When the tsunami did come, six years later, the then-Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, rehabilitated him and put him at the head of a scheme to erect disaster warning towers all along the coast.

The meeting on Sunday was aimed at bolstering knowledge and understanding of tsunamis and ways to provide timely warnings and handle any disaster caused by the monster waves.

Tsunamis are not the only kind of disaster that might befall Phuket. On Wednesday (May 21) a drill involving all the Andaman Coast provinces will practice the actions they take in case of a cyclone-driven storm surge, which could be every bit as destructive as a tsunami.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/keep-an-eye-on-local-quake-fault-line-disaster-expert-warns-phuket-46326.php


-- Phuket News 2014-05-19

The fault line.

Oh well, seem to be unable to post any picture bigger than a thumbnail. Phuket is left/under.

Edited May 19, 201412 yr by keestha

Cyclones, I am not an expert but I did not think we get Cyclones (South) or Hurricanes (North) until about +-10 degrees of the equator, most of Phuket is 7 degrees North.

Bangkok is sinking, Phuket is prone to earthquakes (and tsunamis), Chiang Mai is choking in a sea of smoke.

They'll all be moving to Pattaya soon!

Will this affect Phuket property prices,

In 1998 Dr Smith predicted that Phuket and the Andaman Coast would at some stage suffer a quake-generated tsunami. His remarks sparked rumours that a tsunami was already on its way, and many promptly fled for the hills.

The then-governor of the island, Chadej Insawang, along with the entire tourism industry, were furious, and Dr Smith was relieved of his post in the Thai Meteorological Department.

When the tsunami did come, six years later, the then-Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, rehabilitated him and put him at the head of a scheme to erect disaster warning towers all along the coast.

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mohandas Gandhi

I have dealt with 'Dr' Smith over many years, some of what he says makes sense but mostly it doesn't.

Bangkok is sinking, Phuket is prone to earthquakes (and tsunamis), Chiang Mai is choking in a sea of smoke.

They'll all be moving to Pattaya soon!

Only to have their genitals to be eaten by an antibiotic resistant STD.

I would rather the other options!

Better known to his friends as Dr Death

I have dealt with 'Dr' Smith over many years, some of what he says makes sense but mostly it doesn't.

Never dealt with the man, but I agree with what you are saying....... Looks to me as if somoene needs funding for a project?

And where the company's coming from that make earthquake save buildings in the affected areas?

I hope its not a glass eye. That wouldn't be earthquake proof.

is he looking for some funding of some kind of research ?

the kind that will put some money in his pockets and people can research where it went ?

disaster expert

I hope he knows he's got a tsunami happening on his coat pocket.

In 1998 Dr Smith predicted that Phuket and the Andaman Coast would at some stage suffer a quake-generated tsunami. His remarks sparked rumours that a tsunami was already on its way, and many promptly fled for the hills.

The then-governor of the island, Chadej Insawang, along with the entire tourism industry, were furious, and Dr Smith was relieved of his post in the Thai Meteorological Department.

When the tsunami did come, six years later, the then-Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, rehabilitated him and put him at the head of a scheme to erect disaster warning towers all along the coast.

All truth passes through three stages.

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Arthur Schopenhauer

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mohandas Gandhi

Everything that you want to dream might happen will do so, provided there's no time limit involved, that doesn't make the predictor a great person in any way.

The fault line.

Oh well, seem to be unable to post any picture bigger than a thumbnail. Phuket is left/under.

In 1998 Dr Smith predicted that Phuket and the Andaman Coast would at some stage suffer a quake-generated tsunami. His remarks sparked rumours that a tsunami was already on its way, and many promptly fled for the hills.

The then-governor of the island, Chadej Insawang, along with the entire tourism industry, were furious, and Dr Smith was relieved of his post in the Thai Meteorological Department.

When the tsunami did come, six years later, the then-Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, rehabilitated him and put him at the head of a scheme to erect disaster warning towers all along the coast.

All truth passes through three stages.

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Arthur Schopenhauer

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mohandas Gandhi

Right... right ... I read Gandhi's words in due awe... the problem is that Hitler said the very same thing, and he did win ... for a while. I have the utmost respect for Gandhi of course but it's also obvious that people who think they hold the truth can be extremely lethal for humanity.

Heavens to Betsy what shall we do, only about 3 or 4 on the Richter Scale – but it will effect houses close to the fault. Maybe it will happen within the next 500 years, I'm really scared now, Yea Right!

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Will this affect Phuket property prices,

I hope so...Over priced &lt;deleted&gt;!

That's great. An economy in decline, lunacy in Bangkok and now a potential earthquake. What next a plague of locusts?

Warnings are often given and often ignored. Those who decide to heed them will fair better than the later.

The prudent path may be to prepare advance and not when confronted by a 25 foot wave that is crashing down on the heads of the naysayers.

Easy Does It.

The insurance companies bible with regard to earthquakes and other natural disasters is Munich Re's NATHAN World Map Of Natural Hazards. This map displays the probabilities of earthquakes in a simple colour coded format for the whole world.

Southern Thailand, including Phuket is yellow, basically saying that a minor quake is possible, which is effectively all Dr Smith is saying. It's on a par with Stoke-On-Trent if any UK forum readers want a comparison.

The further south you get on the Malay peninsula, the less chance there is of a quake. Peninsular Malaysia is basically a quake-free zone.

Yet you don't have to go far to encounter a major fault line: Sumatra is mostly very dark orange on the map; the highest risk, and that's no surprise and of course the reason for potential tsunamis on Thailand and Malaysia's west coast. Northern Thailand has some much darker orange patches as well.

The map also indicates that Thailand is unlikely to be hit by a cyclone, falling in between two clear dangerous zones, as rightly pointed out by a previous poster.

The full version of the map costs a lot but there are some smaller images available online via a Google search if anyone is interested.

I hope there is never an earthquake in Pattaya from what I've seen of the building practices. They'll topple like a house of cards.

I seriously doubt that the conditions are much better in other parts of the country.

Sounds reasonable. Not too sure if we needed anyone to predict that 'one day, at some time, it might happen'.

Cyclones, I am not an expert but I did not think we get Cyclones (South) or Hurricanes (North) until about +-10 degrees of the equator, most of Phuket is 7 degrees North.

Be careful, facts don't count for much in a defamation suit.

Bangkok is sinking, Phuket is prone to earthquakes (and tsunamis), Chiang Mai is choking in a sea of smoke.

They'll all be moving to Pattaya soon!

Only to have their genitals to be eaten by an antibiotic resistant STD.

I would rather the other options!

I hope you are better soon.

Is it not interesting that a country that is phobic against any form of planning or preparation chooses to plan earthquakes of all things, and by staring at a fault line, most of which is under the sea?

Once more into the breach!
Dear TV "Friends"? Posters..... blagers (Oops, Bloggers)
Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank. - Ben Irwin
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Mohandas Gandhi
All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer

DILLIGAF?