Experts less concerned with repeat of 2004 tsunami than with devastating storms

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BANGKOK, 26 June 2014  – Experts indicated on Wednesday they were less concerned with a repeat of the 2004 tsunami than they were with the current tendency for devastating tropical storms. 

The Thailand Research Fund has hosted a seminar entitled “Second Round of Tsunami: Possibility or Rumor” to address the recent rumors about an impending repetition of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.

At the seminar, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) instructor Amon Phimanmat said the violent sea waves on the Andaman Coast at present were due to strong winds that resulted from seasonal monsoons, and were unrelated to a tsunami.

Thiraphan Onthammarat from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Engineering indicated that a repeat of an earthquake in the same spot likely required between 300-500 years of energy accumulation, and that Thailand’s warning system should provide a warning 1-3 hours before the arrival of a tsunami.

Manwhile, Anat Rueangratsami from Chulalongkorn University viewed that the fault line that can trigger a tsunami was located far enough for Thailand. He argued that tropical storms should currently be of more concern.