No Thais affected by strong quake in Japan

BANGKOK, November 22 (TNA) - No Thai nationals have been affected by a powerful earthquake that hit Japan's Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures on early Tuesday morning (local time), when there was also an initial warning of a possible tsunami of 1-3 metres at both locations before the official warning was later revoked. Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told journalists of the information later on Tuesday morning, prior to the Cabinet's weekly meeting at Bangkok's Government House. Don said that he had not yet received any report on exact damages of the 7.3-magnitude quake, which struck the northern Japanese areas at around 6am (local time), although all Thais in Japan had been confirmed safe. The Thai foreign minister, however, expressed his concerns over Japanese people living in the quake-stricken areas, extending his moral support and best wishes for them to be all safe from the latest natural disaster. The foreign minister stressed that there have been no Thai people reported in both the quake-hit Japanese prefectures. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, a site of nuclear leaking disaster following a powerful earthquake and tsunami in April 2011, is located in Fukushima Prefecture and the nuclear power plant remains in a process of being decommissioned. Japan's Meteorological Agency later issued a statement on its official website, notifying that its earlier tsunami warning has already been lifted. (TNA)