The meeting, chaired by Thirat Rattanawanich, Deputy Minister of Interior, was hosted by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and connected officials across the country via video conference.
The session provided updated information on regional earthquake activity and reinforced the importance of community-based warning systems and coordinated emergency response plans, said an official report of the meeting.
In Phuket, the provincial-level meeting was led by Phuket Vice Governor Adul Chuthong, who chaired the session at the DDPM offices at Phuket Provincial Hall. DDPM Phuket Chief Wichit Sutthaso and other local officials attended.
Experts from the Thai Meteorological Department reported on recent seismic activity in the Nicobar Islands and Japan, noting that the quakes, which measured around Magnitude 5, posed no threat to Thailand.
TMD Deputy Director-General Nattawut Dandee and Burin Wechabun, a specialist in earthquake and tsunami monitoring, explained that tsunamis typically result from earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.5 or greater and require vertical crust movement ‒ conditions not present in the recent tremors.
The briefing also covered Thailand’s geological landscape. Sumet Saithong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources, reported that while some fault lines exist along the Andaman coast and in the Gulf of Thailand, they are parallel faults and currently show no significant risk of triggering tsunamis.
In terms of disaster readiness, DDPM Director-General Phasakorn Boonnalak stressed the need for robust monitoring systems, regular emergency drills and cross-sector collaboration to ensure swift, effective responses to potential disasters.
Assoc Prof Seri Supratid from the National Disaster Warning Centre proposed strategies to further strengthen local-level warning systems, including enhancing infrastructure, improving training for disaster response personnel, and engaging civil society networks to build community resilience.
Deputy Minister Thirat closed the session by reminding all agencies and the public of the importance of staying informed through credible sources.
“No one wants disasters to happen, but preparedness is key to reducing losses,” she said, reinforcing the message to “be aware, don’t panic”, particularly in high-risk areas along the Andaman coast.
The special meeting today followed a 4.9M underwater earthquake off the northern tip of Sumatra yesterday morning, which followed a 5.4M earthquake in the same area at 2:44am yesterday (July 6). Both earthquakes struck at a depth of 10km.
Reports of the earthquakes spread quickly across social media, raising concerns of a possible impending tsunami.
The posts also followed the Phuket branch of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) last Thursday (July 3) sharing a TMD seismic activity map showing an “earthquake swarm” in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region west of Phuket.
Of note, the official report of the meeting today (July 7) made no mention of the tsunami warning towers that at last report, in April, were under repair or missing entirely.
Further, little over a week ago Phuket was the focal point for a major tsunami drill held simultaneously in the six Andaman provinces.