Smith Dharmasaroja
Encyclopedia
Smith Dharmasaroja is a Thai
government official. In 1998, while serving as a meteorologist
, he predicted that an earthquake
and tsunami
"is going to occur for sure." He advocated tsunami warning systems, but was not taken seriously. After the tsunami of December 2004
, which killed over 200,000 people, he was recalled from retirement and charged with development of Thai and regional warning systems.
As chief of the National Disaster Warning Centre in Thailand, Dharmasaroja publicly stated that a solar eclipse
could trigger natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis in Thailand, depending on "the time that the sun unleashed its energy."
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
government official. In 1998, while serving as a meteorologist
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, he predicted that an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
and tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
"is going to occur for sure." He advocated tsunami warning systems, but was not taken seriously. After the tsunami of December 2004
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, which killed over 200,000 people, he was recalled from retirement and charged with development of Thai and regional warning systems.
As chief of the National Disaster Warning Centre in Thailand, Dharmasaroja publicly stated that a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
could trigger natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis in Thailand, depending on "the time that the sun unleashed its energy."