Major tsunami emergency response exercise held in Thailand

Bangkok, July 25 (UNI) The largest tsunami emergency response exercise of Southeast Asia was today held in Thailand's southwestern coastal region which was devastated by the December 2004 tsunami.

Representatives of several foreign governments and the international tourism industry observed the drill in which thousands of local people and tourists took part in the country's six Andaman Sea coastal provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Satun and Trang.

The exercise was meant to test the tsunami warning systems set up at nearly 80 locations in the provinces and to conduct a mock mass evacuation.

It began with the sounding of tsunami alarms on high towers on the beaches. This was followed by announcements in several languages of a likely tsunami with warnings to people to move to higher ground.

Tsunami evacuation routes have been marked out from the beaches to inland hilly areas.

Nearly 6,000 Thai nationals and foreign tourists were killed in Thailand's western coastal resorts during the December 26, 2004 tsunami.

UNI