Tsunami hoax causes panic
Residents in Phang Nga's Takua Pa district stampeded to high ground in fright yester-day after rumours spread that a tsunami was about to hit the Andaman shore, while the authorities denied that any report had been issued.
At about 2.50pm, several villagers screaming "Tsunami!" on Nang Thong beach in tambon Khuk Khak prompted villagers and tourists to run for higher ground in panic.
Khuk Khak civil servant Somchai Chulek said he had found no warning signs on the beach.
Somchai said a tourist had apparently heard of a powerful earthquake in the United States, and a Burmese worker had said Burma had been hit by a tsunami, which was on its way south.
Takua Pa district chief Chalorsak Wanichcharoen said the rumours had probably been spread by criminals and urged villagers to have more faith in the authority's warning system.
Somchai said: "People still fear another disaster and don't trust the warning system, so we have volunteered to watch the shore to put their minds at rest."
Phang Nga weather bureau chief Monchai Sukmool said: "I was looking at computer screen at the time and saw no sign of an earthquake."
The Nation
PHANG NGA
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Big wave or high tide?
A powerful earthquake this week in a remote corner of Indonesia reportedly triggered a tsunami that killed three people, but seismologists in Jakarta yesterday said the waves were more likely the result of high tides and heavy winds.
The confusion shows the poor coordination and lack of modern tsunami detection technology in Indonesia. Tuesday's 6.8-magnitude quake was 50 kilometres east of Buru Island in the east of the sprawling country.
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