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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 17 may 2007 :-
Bangkok shaken by Laos quake, minor damage in North
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A powerful earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre in northern Laos, jolted many parts of the country yesterday, shaking buildings in downtown Bangkok and toppling spires of ancient temples in Chiang Rai.
No injuries were reported as a result of the quake which lasted about 30 seconds.
Tremors were also felt in Hanoi in Vietnam, but there were no reports of any major damage or injuries there or in Laos around the epicentre of the quake.
Many buildings in Bangkok and other affected provinces shook although no visible structural damage was reported.
Apichai Chvajarernpun, chief of the Mineral Resources Department, said the widespread tremors could be felt from Chiang Rai to Bangkok as the source of the quake was 10 km below ground, which is considered shallow.
The department detected the earthquake at 3.56pm. It was centred in northern Laos, only 95km from Chiang Rai. A 6.1 magnitude quake is usually capable of damaging buildings.
In Chiang Rai's Muang district, panic-stricken patients from the three-storey Prachanukroh hospital were assisted as they rushed to evacuate the building.
Trembling glass windows in other areas caused people to flee their hotels.
The most intense tremors were felt in Chiang Saen district, some 30km from the epicentre of the quake where cement and bricks fell from the 1,000 year-old Wat Prathat Chedi Luang.
A one-foot golden spire on top of Wat Phra That Jomkitti snapped and fell while the lotus-shaped tip of Wat Pasak also broke off.
''This could be the biggest quake ever experienced in the North,'' said Smith Dharmasarojana, chairman of the National Disaster Warning Administration Committee.
Other northern provinces, such as Chiang Mai and Phayao, also felt tremors of differing intensities. In Phayao's Phu Sang sub-district, a villager said his house was ''swaying like a hammock''.
In Bangkok, employees in buildings in Klong Toey and on Silom, Sathorn, and Phetchaburi roads were seen pouring out onto the streets following the quake.
Earthquakes are rarely felt to any great degree in the capital, so yesterday's tremors caused concern among many residents.
Arunee Achakulwisut, a company employee on the 18th floor of the Ocean Tower in Asoke, said it was a frightening experience.
''I was tossed from side to side while typing on my computer,'' she said
Chutamas Suthipanyo, of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand working on the 20th floor of the Maneeya Building on Phloenchit road, said staff in her office were panicked by the tremors.
Other provinces affected by the quake include Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak and Udon Thani.
Pennung Warnitchai, a project leader of the National Earthquake Mitigation Programme, said tall buildings in Bangkok are at risk because soil in the capital is very soft, which worsens the effects of the vibrations.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:56 pm on May 16, 2007
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Thursday 17 may 2007 :-
Earthquake rocks far North
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6.1 trembler on the Laos-Burma border stuns northerners, rattles towers and people in Bangkok
An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale yesterday sent tremors from the northernmost provinces down to Bangkok.
The powerful quake's epicentre was near the border with Burma and Laos in the far North, but the capital's soft foundations were blamed for intensifying the tremors by three or four times.
The earthquake took place at 3.56pm.
"The soft clay is the reason why the tremor was felt in Bangkok even though the earthquake took place 700 kilometres away," Asian Institute of Technology's seismologist Dr Penneung Wanichchai said.
He said the tremors would generally be much more violent on the higher floors of buildings than on the ground.
Many of those who felt the impact in Bangkok were in high-rise tower blocks.
Pennueng described yesterday's incident as "shocking but not dangerous" to Bangkok residents.
However, he warned that if a powerful earthquake occurred closer to Bangkok, the city could face serious consequences.
He said there were two faults in Kanchanaburi, about 200 kilometres away from the capital.
Currently, only buildings in the northern provinces and Kanchanaburi are legally required to be 'quake-proof'.
Mineral Resources Department director general, Apichai Chawa-charoenpan said authorities were now closely monitoring aftershocks from the 6.1-Richter-scale quake.
Chairman of the National Disaster Warning Centre Smith Dharmasaroja said more than 10 aftershocks had followed the powerful quake.
He warned people in provinces in the far North, such as Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, to be on the alert.
"Landslides may take place," he said.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) reported that the tiered umbrella of Chom Kitti Pagoda in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district collapsed and cracks also appeared on the ancient pagoda because of the quake.
The pagoda is 1,067 years old.
In other parts of Chiang Rai, local people reported their houses shook violently and many items hanging on the walls fell down.
In Chiang Mai's Muang district, tourists at the Doi Suthep Temple also felt the tremor but remained calm. "They showed signs of surprise but nobody panicked," said Wallop Namwongphrom, who was in charge of the temple's PR activities.
The revered temple is popular tourist attraction.
"Nothing fell down and vendors at the temple ran their business as usual," Wallop said, adding the temple's staff were well prepared to deal with emergencies.
In Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district, mini-mart owner Jantima Saengmee said the tremor was so powerful that her shop shook, and stock was thrown off the shelves.
"Some of the customers rushed outside while others clung to the shop's pillars," Jantima said.
The DPMD said tremors were also felt in Nan, Phayao and Phrae but no damage was reported.
In Bangkok, office workers in many high-rise buildings felt the impact and rushed out into the streets. Windows were reported smashed on the top floors of the MBK building opposite Siam Square.
"My head was sort of swirling. I asked my colleagues 'what happened'?" said Yupa, an office worker on the 16th floor of the Maneeya Building in Bangkok's Ploenchit area.
As soon as someone mentioned "earthquake", Yupa and her colleagues rushed from their office.
"I felt the tremors three or four times while we went down the stairs," she said.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 9:05 pm on May 16, 2007
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Thursday 17 may 2007 :-
11 aftershocks happen Wednesday night
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Meteorological Department Director-General Supalerk Tansriwattanawongse said Thursday that 11 aftershocks happened during Wednesday night.
He said the aftershocks were measured at 4.7 to 4.9 on the open Richter scale.
Giving an interview to Nation Channel Thursday morning, Supalerk said the aftershocks did not cause any damage and Thai people did not fell them.
He said his department was still monitoring the situation after the earthquake hit Laos and was felt in Thailand.
"We believe that there would be more aftershocks on Thursday but people would not feel them," the meteorological chief said.
"In fact a 5.3 Richter earthquake happened on May 15 at 9.30pm."
He said two quakes occurred on Wednesday. The first one measuring at 5.7 on the Richter scale took place at 3.56 pm and the second one measuring at 6.1 on the Richter scale struck at 3.57pm.
Earlier, announcements from the Meteorological Department caused public confusion on the magnitude of the quakes as it released two figures of the magnitude.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:09 pm on May 16, 2007
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MadStockBroker
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My office is on the 40th floor and I didn't notice it at all....
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 12:45 am on May 17, 2007
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atl
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my little lady is so scared of Earthquakes since the tsunami and now that we are out here in LA and hated my first office on the 37th floor..
anyway she read about it on the computer and said to me...
"I tell you SV City not safe when you want to move there (this is back in '04)...see I right and you are wrong!"
I was like "come on nothing happened to SV City and what makes me wrong almost 3 years later?"
atl
edit in***
back when we lived in SV City 14th floor..it was my favorite apartment I ever had in BKK (exception being no close BTS) but she was always nervous and said shit about the height all the time..but she was pretty much kidding about the statement yesterday
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 3:09 pm on May 17, 2007
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jingjo
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alt mate
Remember ONE thing She's a Woman
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:23 pm on May 17, 2007
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Friday 18 May 2007 :-
Condos 'safe from big quakes'
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Property developers have assured owners and prospective buyers of units in high-rise condominiums that the buildings are perfectly safe and can deal with strong earthquakes.
Thai Condominium Association president Atip Bijanonda said most condominium projects in Bangkok were strong enough to cope with quakes as high as nine on the Richter scale.
Construction standards were controlled by the Engineering Institute of Thailand, which insisted that all condominiums were reinforced to handle even the strongest quakes.
He said high-rise buildings in Bangkok were also scrutinised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
However, shophouses could be in danger.
"I think the BMA should pay more attention to shop houses as they have high potential to be damaged by an earthquake," Atip said.
Metrostar Property Plc managing director Ratanachai Phatinavin, said some of its condominium customers called his office after the quake to ask about the safety issue. "We simply told them not to worry. It's safe."
Asian Property Development Plc managing director Pichet Vipavasuphakorn said staff were ready to explain safety aspects in detail.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:55 pm on May 17, 2007
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Friday 18 May 2007 :-
Preparedness low for a major quake
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Cost-effective safeguards in building and better detection are needed to prepare Bangkok for potential disaster
Wednesday's earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale in Laos and sent tremors that could be felt from Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai to high-rise buildings in Bangkok, was not a cause for panic. But the trembler should serve as a reminder that although the risk of a major quake in this country is low, Thailand needs to start raising its level of earthquake preparedness. Although the epicentre of this powerful quake was 700 kilometres away to the north, vibrations could be clearly felt by people in tall buildings in Bangkok. That is because although Bangkok is located in an area with a low risk of earthquakes, the capital city is built on relatively soft soil, which can amplify the magnitude of any seismic activity by a factor of three to four. No casualties or serious damage to buildings were reported.
Be that as it may, the question that needs to be asked is: is there any possibility, no matter how remote, of Thailand experiencing a devastating earthquake, and how prepared are we to cope with such a risk? Experts agree that if a powerful earthquake takes place closer to Bangkok, the city could face serious consequences, as the overwhelming majority of high-rise buildings are located in this sprawling, densely populated metropolis.
Two moderately active geological faults have been identified in the province of Kanchanaburi which is only about 200 kilometres away from Bangkok. There are 11 other active faults; most of them located in the North, Kanchanaburi and the southern province of Ranong.
At present, only buildings in nine northern provinces and Kanchanaburi, which are classified as moderate- to high-risk areas, are legally required to be "quake proof", but the law only covers new buildings which leaves virtually all pre-existing structures unsafe in the event of a major earthquake.
In Bangkok, only a small number of recently built structures were specifically designed to be flexible enough to withstand earthquakes. Although draft legislation has been approved by the Earthquake Commission to make it compulsory for new buildings in Bangkok and the vicinity to be quake-proof, it has yet to be put into effect.
Professor Panitan Lukkunaprasit of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Engineering, one of a handful of experts on quake-proof building designs, has made recommendations to the government suggesting that it consider cost-effective ways to build earthquake-proof buildings in Thailand. One of the techniques is the use of simple devices called hook-clips to keep enforcing rods within concrete pillars and prevent beams from disintegrating in the event of an earthquake. This building technique has been found to be equal in quality to international standards for earthquake-proof building materials.
We need more research and development into cost-effective technologies such as this that are appropriate for a middle-income developing country like Thailand. The country also needs better monitoring of seismic activities in order for officials to better assess risks.
Since the catastrophic Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami on December 26, 2004, which killed some 250,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries, international cooperation on disaster preparedness has improved significantly. But such capability building exercises should be expanded to cover earthquakes as well.
As much as Thailand has increased its preparedness to deal with tsunamis, which often follow undersea earthquakes, the country still needs to develop its responses to potentially dangerous earthquakes that could strike inland areas.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this country's ability to respond to an earthquake is still in its infancy. A public education campaign and a tightening of the regulatory framework to ensure that tall buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes have yet to be implemented.
The problem with earthquakes is that despite scientific advancement in seismology, there is no way to accurately predict the exact time, location or magnitude of this particularly frightening natural disaster.
As with all natural disasters that occur rarely, the government must take a balanced approach to raise Thailand's level of preparedness, taking into consideration all risks based on the probability of the disaster happening and the available resources on hand.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 10:58 pm on May 17, 2007
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atl
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Pussylover,
with all do respect to your posts and I actually read about 20% of them in the entirity...but man just throw your thoughts in there from time to time...no matter what fellow bro's may think about them..
I know I have drawn more than a few disareegrments but thats what makes it fun...are you a jounalist?
anyway, I have nothing to go on regarding you personality..if you desire it that way then so be it...but I would welcome an opinionated post after you many news links..
just a thought..and all the best to you my man,
atl
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:13 pm on May 17, 2007
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