Phuket quake victims to be compensated this week
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Authorities in Phuket are speeding up their assessments of property damage caused by the 4.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern resort province on April 16.
Meanwhile, a veteran Thai engineer working for the US space agency Nasa has warned that a large earthquake could strike in the next one to four days due to solar storms.
Dr Kongpop U-yen wrote in his Facebook page that people living near geological fault lines will be especially vulnerable to large-scale earthquakes in the coming days.
The world faced an increased likelihood of natural disasters because of massive energy shifts in space as well as the solar storms, which have a significant impact on the global climate and geological conditions, according to Dr Kongpop.
Regarding the recent earthquake in Phuket, governor Tri Arkara-decha said authorities would make the first compensation payments to more than 200 affected households in Talang district by Wednesday.
The 4.3-magnitude quake and its aftershocks damaged the walls and ceilings of many houses.
Meanwhile, Rachin Thong-mak-sook, president of the Patong Beach Hotels Association, said the recent quake and the rumours that followed it had resulted in room cancellations.
In addition, some hotel workers had moved out of the resort province due to fears of more quakes, Rachin said.
Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit said the government is prepared to cope with natural disasters and will ensure that early-warning systems and evacuation plans work properly.
Somsak Khao-suwan, head of the national disaster warning agency, said the April 16 quake in Phuket was not a major event compared to those that had occurred recently in Japan, New Zealand or Chile, so there was no reason to panic.
