Last week I posted a diary about the technological and communications barriers that resulted in
no warning to Thailand citizens and other people at risk in countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Among other problems I noted there was the fact that the official Thai contact for the American-based tsunami center for the Pacific Ocean (ITSU) included NO phone number, NO fax number, NO email address, and NO website contact, but instead listed only a SNAIL MAIL contact address.
Today, we learn that despite these communications barriers, Thailand knew, and its officials deliberately sacked the warning, due to fears that THEY would be sacked if an issued warning proved false.
Thailand's meteorological chief was sacked today for failing to issue a warning as the tsunami roared toward the country's southern resort coast.
Suparerk Thantiratanawong, director general of the Meteorological Department, was removed from his post for failing to act, said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"If he warned, the death toll would definitely have been minimised," he added.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3959478
Sumalee Prachuab, who heads the department's Seismological Bureau, has said that in the past the agency exercised caution in issuing alerts because the government's tourism agency was concerned that false warnings would damage tourism.
"Five years ago, the Meteorological Department issued a warning of a possible tsunami wave after an earthquake occurred in Papua New Guinea, but the tourism authority complained that such a warning would hurt tourism," Sumalee said.
Another source reports more here
and some of the blogs have a slightly more vitriolic take.
The almighty dollar lives.....no matter what the specific currency.....
And human being fear blame..........always.............
And the price of these all-too-human failings is.......how many lives????????????