Thailand satisfies with Tsunami drills in six Andaman Sea coastal provinces

After the evacuation exercise was completed, ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom expressed his appreciation for the overall picture of the drill including the warning system at Nonthaburi's National Disaster Warning Centre and the evacuation plan conducted at Phuket's Patong Beach, which he monitored on television.

The drills' scenario was that an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter Scale occurred near the Nicobar Islands posing a threat of tsunami to the Thai coastal provinces.

The minister said he would wait for the conclusions by the observers from various international organisations to be released tomorrow. The drills in other areas in Krabi, Satun, Trang, Ranong, Phangnga, and Phuket were under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department's supervision, which would collect the information on the results of the drill before the evaluation could be carried out tomorrow, he added.