Twenty years after Boxing Day tsunami, Thailand’s disaster defences crumbling

The devastating toll from 2004’s Boxing Day tsunami triggered an unprecedented improvement in Thailand’s early-warning system, disaster management and relief operations. Yet, just two decades later, a creeping sense of complacency and lack of preparedness are evident.

Many early-warning towers and other tsunami signals, for example, have fallen into a dilapidated state. Most tsunami evacuation centres are reportedly no longer fit for use thanks to faulty electricity, toilets and water supply.

Evacuation drills, once a regular feature of life in Andaman coastal communities that were smashed by the tidal waves 20 years ago, have also been discontinued in many areas.

“Where drills are done, we have noticed several flaws,” said Maitree Jongkraijug.

“Apparently, sirens don’t go off when they are supposed to,” said the coastal resident.

He added that locals also often hear alarm bells sounding in perfectly normal situations, which has eroded public trust in the early-warning system.

And whenever warning equipment malfunctions, repairs or replacements are often delayed for long periods, Maitree continued.

For instance, it took nearly two years for authorities to replace tsunami detection buoys that had malfunctioned off the coast.

Unlike many people, Maitree is hyper-vigilant when it comes to disasters. As someone who narrowly escaped death in the 2004 tsunami, he knows that life-changing catastrophes can strike at any time.

“I lost over 40 relatives in the tidal waves,” he solemnly declares.

What happened on Boxing Day 2004?

A massive earthquake measuring 9.1 in magnitude ripped through the seabed off Indonesia at 7.49am on December 26, 2004, kicking up tidal waves that rose as high as 30 metres. The walls of water slammed into beaches and seaside resorts, claiming about 230,000 lives and causing massive damage in a dozen nations around the Indian Ocean basin.

Thailand was among the hardest-hit countries. About 5,400 Thai nationals and foreign tourists were killed as the waves surged over beaches, villages and towns in the five southern provinces of Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Trang, Satun and Ranong.

Media coverage showed bodies strewn among the ruins of tsunami-ravaged villages.

Thailand and other countries were caught off guard by the disaster, having never encountered such a massive tsunami.

Lessons learned

The unprecedented scale of death and destruction triggered a concerted effort to improve Thailand’s disaster warning and preparedness systems. The country set up the Natural Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) within five months of the tsunami, before passing the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act in 2007. The government also created a national disaster prevention and mitigation masterplan to coordinate the actions of all relevant agencies before, during and after a disaster.

“Thais know about the early-warning system because of the tsunami,” said Air Chief Marshal Somnuek Swatteuk from the NDWC, which operates under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

The NDWC analyses data from various local and foreign agencies to determine disaster risks and predict impacts.

Thailand currently has 354 early-warning towers, including 18 in tsunami risk zones, said Somnuek.

He also insisted that tsunami drills were still being conducted every Wednesday, with sirens sounded and warnings announced in five languages – Thai, English, German, Chinese, and Japanese.

“We also have [disaster notification] channels on Line, Facebook and X [Twitter],” he said. “And we are developing a mobile signal system to provide cellphone users with timely alerts.”

Professor Dr Pennung Warnitchai, founder and director of the Earthquake Research Centre of Thailand (EARTH), acknowledges the 2004 tsunami led to improvements in disaster research, equipment and adoption of international practices.

“Over the past 20 years, Thailand has significantly improved its quake detection system in collaboration with China, India, Indonesia and other countries,” he said.

However, Thailand could and should be doing much more to upgrade its quake detection and warning systems, said Pennung, who lectures at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

“We should be able to alert people faster,” he said.

It's not the last

Pennung points to the risk of another mega-tsunami occurring in earthquake-prone Southeast Asia within our lifetimes. Areas of Thailand’s coast would likely be swamped within two hours of a large undersea quake. Early warnings should therefore be issued within the first 30 minutes of a quake to give people enough time to evacuate safely.

Pennung said that in places like Khao Lak and the Phi Phi Islands, it would be necessary to commandeer private buildings as evacuation centres in times of emergency.

“For safety in those areas, people need shelter in secure buildings that are high enough,” he explained. “That’s why we will likely need support from certain hotels.”

Pennung added that it would also be necessary to promote awareness of evacuation routes to use in times of emergency and to remind people where appropriate not to use cars, which can cause traffic jams that block escape.

Community engagement

Maitree, who lives in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa district, complained that authorities had failed to maximise communities’ potential in disaster management. The government is missing an opportunity to empower communities in ways that would save lives, he said.

“I think communities should be the main agencies to manage disaster responses in their areas,” he said.

Communities should not be left powerless and unable to do anything except wait for help to arrive, he emphasised. Empowerment will require supportive policies as well as resources, however.

“We will need decentralisation to delegate not just duties but also budget to communities,” he said.

Maitree, who is manager of the Chumchonthai (Thai Community) Foundation, said the government should also conduct training for locals so that they can mount rescue efforts, provide first aid, and even cook for victims in times of disaster.

“We also want the government to provide boats and other resources for community disaster responses,” he said.

His people’s network is also pushing for changes to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act, which was drafted in the wake of the 2004 tsunami with a focus on relief operations rather than prevention and mitigation.

“More effort to prevent disaster impacts would reduce losses and damage,” Maitree said.

Asked what advice he had for the public, he said, “Remember that if you have a chance to evacuate, do it. Don’t wait till it’s impossible to escape.”