Tsunami could not be predicted
2005-01-06 08:21
Bangkok - A quake expert at Thailand's beleaguered meteorology bureau has shot back at critics saying the agency never could have predicted the tsunami which claimed more than 5 000 lives in the kingdom, media reported on Thursday.
Burin Vejbanterg, who was the only department expert in the bureau when the deadly waves struck, argued that with current equipment and expertise there was no way the tsunami could have been predicted, said the Nation newspaper.
Vejbanterg said: "Our bureau cannot predict earthquakes, nor can it predict tsunamis. We can only measure the earthquakes' magnitude and epicentre."
He said: "The idea of a tsunami didn't even cross my mind at that time because it has never happened before in the Indian Ocean. The Tsunami Alert Centre in Hawaii put Thailand at zero risk of tidal waves."
'Public should have known'
The newspaper said the centre had however warned Thailand about one hour before the waves struck that there could be a tsunami near the quake epicentre, about 500km from the badly hit Thai resort island of Phuket.
Vejbanterg said phone lines had been ringing non-stop that morning with people reporting tremors. He had sought permission to make a public announcement on the quake but by then it was too late.
He said: "When we realised what had happened, the waves were already smashing the coast."
The Thai government announced last week it would set up an inquiry into why the public was not alerted to the waves triggered by a massive earthquake off Indonesia.
The director general of the meteorological department was transferred on Tuesday for six months or pending another decision, for failing to alert the public.
'Tourism season, major factor'
Thailand's confirmed death toll is almost 5 300 including 2 510 foreign holidaymakers. The number of people listed as missing is 3 716.
The Nation newspaper reported last week that meteorological department officials held a meeting chaired by director-general Supharerk Tansrirat-tanawong minutes after the quake struck at 7:58.
It quoted an unidentified source, as saying the fact that it was high season for tourism was a major factor in the decision not to issue a warning. Supharerk denied this.
The waves hit Thailand just over an hour after the quake.
Visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday pledged help to develop an early warning system to avert future tsunami catastrophes.