BANGKOK: Thailand has set magnitude thresholds for a nationwide mobile phone alert system and is stepping up monitoring of 16 active fault lines across the South-East Asian country, disaster authorities said on Tuesday (Aug 18).
Recent earthquakes elsewhere in Asia have not affected Thailand. Still, related agencies continue to track seismic activities and fault movements to remain prepared at all times, said Theerapat Kachamat, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).
Under a new protocol, the Cell Broadcast system will alert phone users to domestic onshore quakes of magnitude 4 or above, South-East Asian quakes of magnitude 6 or above, and Andaman Sea quakes of magnitude 7 or above.
Tsunami warnings will be issued for quakes of magnitude 7.6 or greater at depths shallower than 100 km, the department said in a statement.
Speaking after a coordination meeting, Theerapat noted that the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) will be the first agency to issue alert messages to the public, followed by the DDPM, which will send follow-up messages with safety instructions.
According to the statement, the TMD operates 111 seismic stations, 55 ground acceleration stations and 19 tectonic plate movement monitoring stations nationwide, while the Department of Mineral Resources conducts regular surveys of the faults.
These faults run through northern provinces, including Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, western Kanchanaburi, and southern tourist areas such as Phang Nga and Phuket.
Officials emphasised that while all 16 faults are active and capable of producing earthquakes, most quakes occurring along Thai fault lines are small in magnitude and do not affect infrastructure.
Theerapat called for continued public education in fault-zone communities and neighbouring provinces to ensure that people remain aware without panicking. - Xinhua
