The earthquake in Mandalay on Friday (Mar 28) caused tremors in many areas of Thailand, especially in the north of Thailand, Governor Sophon explained.
However, Phuket, nearly 2,000km from Mandalay, has not been affected in terms of building structures in any way, Governor Sophon said.
Gov Sophon recognised reports that people at the Phuket Provincial Hospital in Ratsada were able to feel the tremors.
However, high-rise building structures in Phuket, especially buildings that are 23 metres or higher, are continuously inspected every year, he noted.
From the initial assessments, no damage has been found, he said.
There are some 300 such structures on the island, Governor Sophon added.
Governor Sophon also confirmed that there has been no risk of a tsunami affecting Phuket following the earthquake.
The National Disaster Warning Center and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation have been monitoring the situation since Friday, he said.
Although the emergency agencies had increased their vigilance to “on watch”, which is standard procedure following any major earthquakes in the region, Governor Sophon confirmed that there had been no tsunami alerts.
Regarding the impact on tourism, the Governor stated that although there may be short-term concerns, the number of tourists on Mar 27-28 was still increasing, with about 15,000-17,000 tourists visiting per day.
“Provincial officials have been communicating this through the Phuket Tourist Association and related agencies, to inform tour operators and foreign tourists that Phuket is not affected by the incident,” he said.
Regarding tsunami warning concerns, Governor Sophon said that Phuket has a total of 19 tsunami-warning towers on the island.
“The two in the Mai Khao area are currently under repair, and the repairs are expected to be completed soon,” he said.
“The warning system is controlled by officers who initiate the warning sirens when a disaster occurs, in accordance with the province’s disaster prevention plan,” he added.
“In addition, the Phuket Provincial Office has discussed with the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation [PPAO] to develop a mobile phone warning project for local residents, which is currently in the study and development phase to accommodate future situations,” Governor Sophon said.
Tsunami concerns had been raised, not by the earthquake in Mandalay, but by several relatively minor quakes at Banda Aceh, at the northern tip of Sumatra, over the weekend, Governor Sophon noted.
Banda Aceh is about 400km southwest of Phuket.
Governor Sophon again pointed out that Phuket remained unaffected, despite the most recent earthquake in northern Sumatra, at 9:58am yesterday (Mar 30), registering a magnitude of 5.3.
“I would like to advise the public to follow information from government agencies first and avoid sharing unconfirmed news as it may cause unnecessary panic,” Governor Sophon said.
“Phuket Province has strict disaster response measures and is closely monitoring the situation,” he added.