Thailand criticizes delayed warnings – government demands faster SMS for earthquakes

Following the earthquake in Myanmar, which also caused damage and deaths in Thailand, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is now sharply criticizing the disaster warning system used in the country. The text messages (SMS) that were supposed to warn the population took over an hour and, according to the Prime Minister, contained “insufficient and late information.”

Delayed warnings created confusion

The earthquake struck at 13:20 p.m. local time on March 28, but the first official SMS warnings in Bangkok were not sent until 82 minutes later. According to authorities, the messages went out in batches to 200.000 users at a time - a total of 10 million mobile phone numbers in Bangkok and neighboring provinces.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed concern about the system's capacity and called for the capacity to be increased to at least 1 million recipients at a time. She also asked that future warnings be given in English to foreign SIM cards registered in Thailand.

Cell broadcast delayed until summer

The system currently in use is provisional. According to the NBTC (the telecommunications authority), a modern cell broadcast system, where warnings can be sent quickly to everyone in an area, will not be ready for operation until June or July 2025. In the meantime, authorities are working to improve the existing system.

According to Bangkok Post The state-run NBT television channel was able to broadcast an emergency update five minutes after the prime minister's order, but the SMS alerts took much longer. The prime minister has demanded a report from all involved authorities on why the system failed.

Continued emergency preparedness

Thailand remains on high alert after the earthquake. Damage in Bangkok is limited, but the collapsed skyscraper in Chatuchak remains a disaster area. At the same time, rescue efforts are underway in Myanmar, where the death toll has risen to at least 144 according to official figures – but is believed to be significantly higher in reality.

Artiklar report

• Powerful earthquake in Myanmar felt in Thailand – skyscraper collapses in Bangkok
• Update: Earthquake Myanmar – thousands feared dead
• Rescue operations underway after the earthquake – death toll rises in Myanmar and Thailand

Text: The editorial staff

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