The Department of Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation will carry out the final test of its public disaster early warning system on Tuesday, May 13, at 1pm. The test will be conducted via mobile phone networks in five Thai provinces: Bangkok, Udon Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Chiang Mai. It aims to evaluate the readiness of the alert system, which was introduced in the wake of recent seismic activity in the region.
During the test, mobile users will receive an eight-second voice signal followed by a message in Thai and English simulating a disaster alert. The message will remain on the phone for ten minutes. The department emphasized that the message will not contain any links and no action is required from recipients. People located within a 1.5-kilometre radius of the five test areas may also receive the alert.
Only subscribers using smartphones on 4G or 5G networks, with Android version 11 or higher or iOS version 18 and above, will receive the warning. Devices connected to older 2G or 3G networks will receive the alert via SMS.
This will be the last in a series of tests, following limited trials conducted on May 2 and May 7. The system was developed in response to the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28. The 6.2 magnitude quake was strongly felt in Thailand, including in Bangkok, which is located roughly 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre.
In Bangkok, the tremor caused the collapse of an under-construction State Audit Office building in Chatuchak district, trapping more than 100 construction workers. According to official reports, 89 people died, nine were injured and seven remain missing. Four individuals initially believed to be missing were later confirmed to have been absent from the site at the time of the collapse.
Several officials and technical observers will monitor the proceedings of the test.
