Chiang Mai to hold earthquake drills

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND, February 10 (TNA) - Chiang Mai Province in the Thai North plans to organise comprehensive earthquake drills during March 9-10, 2017 as a precaution and a confidence building for affected people, as eight districts in the resort province have been jolted by 101 minor quakes so far this year. Assistant Governor Manas Khansai told journalists of the plan on February 9, after chairing a meeting with parties concerned at the Provincial Hall to discuss preparations for next month's drills. Head of Chiang Mai's disaster prevention and mitigation office Paisin Limcharoen then told reporters that a table top exercise will be held on March 7, followed by full-scaled exercises on March 9-10 based on a mocked scenario that a 2.0-magnitude tremor would hit Chiang Mai, with its epicentre located in Chom Thong District. According to official statistics, a total of 39 quakes hit 11 districts in Chiang Mai last year, while 101 tremors have shaken eight districts of the province since the beginning of this year, the strongest of which was measured at 4.2 on the Richter scale. Meanwhile, Adisorn Foongkajorn, Director of the Seismological Bureau under the Northern Meteorological Centre, said there are a total of 14 fault lines in Thailand, but only two main ones pass through Chiang Mai, including the Mae Chan and Mae Tha that caused a series of minor earthquakes in the province over the past few months. (TNA)