THE massive earthquake in Myanmar’s Mandalay city last Friday (March 28) has hit tourism along the Andaman coast with Trang Deputy Governor CPO2 Anan Boonsamran saying more than half holidaymakers have disappeared, with some cancelling their trip, after panicking upon reading fake news on social media, Naewna newspaper said today (March 30).
Speaking to reporters at Rajamangala Beach where he presided over the opening of a small music festival entitled “Sound from the Sea”, a project by Safe and Creative Media Development Fund, he mentioned issues that have cropped up after this big earthquake, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale and felt across Thailand, which have led to tourists panicking and being unsure about travelling to key destinations along the coast.
He said that his estimate of around half of the tourists have gone from the Andaman Sea area is truthful because he personally saw how many arrived at Pak Meng pier yesterday morning (March 29).
If people had good, correct information they would not panic to the point of cancelling their trips but they are swayed by posts written by those with “fast hands and quick heart” who just voice their thoughts and ideas without having real knowledge of the situation and illustrate it with old pictures, he said.
This has lead to fear that this earthquake could lead to a tsunami hitting this coast as it did on December 26, 2004 when a 9.1 magnitude quake off Sumatra island in northern Indonesia triggered a tsunami that struck 14 countries, killing 226,000 people along the Indian Ocean coastline, more than half of them in Indonesia.
In Thailand this tsunami killed 4,812 people, injured 8,457 others with 4,499 missing. It was Khao Lak that was hardest hit with many foreign tourists among the victims.
People who don’t know the facts had read fake news illustrated with giant waves hitting Krabi, which is not true, but has led to trips being cancelled, Anan said.
He urged the media to help because there is a real problem today with various fake news spreading which is not good for the country.
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Beautiful Adaman coast beaches. Photos: Naewna
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