Emergency warning system trial set for Friday in select regions of Thailand
Upcoming nationwide disaster alert tests scheduled to rock five locations across Thailand kick off at 1pm on multiple days! Here's how it unfolds:
On Friday, you can expect some buzz in Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Suphan Buri, Songkhla, and Bangkok's Government Complex. These areas will witness a small-scale test within a two-kilometer radius of their respective provincial halls or government facilities.
Fast forward to Wednesday, next week, and it's a medium-sized event. Bangkok's Din Daeng district and four key Muang districts in Lampang, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Surat Thani provinces are in on the action.
Save the date for May 13 because it's time for a big test! Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Bangkok will participate in this province-wide drill.
During all tests, mobile phone users in the affected areas will hear a deafening alert tone and receive a message, regardless of whether their phones are on silent mode. The message will clarify it's just a test from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). Don't get your britches in a bunch!
Although there's chatter about tests on May 7 and May 9, the official schedule only confirms the tests mentioned above. So, far no clear details are available about the May 9 event. As they say, better safe than sorry—stay tuned for updates!
This initiative stems from the government's efforts to bolster Thailand's disaster response system in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, the Public Relations Department, and telecom providers AIS, True, and National Telecom.
The move comes following the DDPM's fumble when it failed to expeditiously warn folks about the aftermath of the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar. Sucks to be them, as many recipients received the alert over ten hours later—way too late to be of any real help!
- The upcoming disaster alert test on Wednesday, in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok and four key Muang districts in Lampang, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Surat Thani provinces, falls under the nationwide drills being conducted by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).
- In addition to these tests, there are rumors of tests scheduled for May 7 and May 9, but only the tests in Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Bangkok on May 13 have been officially confirmed by the DDPM.
- Despite the politics and general-news surrounding these tests, they are part of a larger initiative by the government, in collaboration with various ministries and telecom providers, aimed at improving Thailand's disaster response system, as seen in response to the delayed warning about the aftermath of the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar.
