Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Speaking Against the Status Quo not only scares others but can also paralyze effective timely action

Today's news, AOL

Thai Tsunami Forecaster Was Clairvoyant
By SUTIN WANNABOVORN, AP
BANGKOK, Thailand (Jan. 11) -

Until two weeks ago, Smith Thammasaroj was a prophet without honor. As chief of Thailand's meteorological department in 1998, he was accused of scare-mongering when he warned that the country's southwest coast could face a deadly tsunami.

He retired under a shadow, dismissed as a crackpot, accused of causing panic and jeopardizing a critical tourist industry that grew up around the tropical resort island of Phuket.

Today, Smith is being lionized for his foresight after the devastating Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 150,000 people around the region, including 5,300 in Thailand, where 3,600 more are listed as missing.

Less than a week after the tragedy, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appointed Smith as a vice minister and put him in charge of the newly established National Disaster Warning Office, which will work with seismologists to establish a tsunami early warning system.

For more find source, taken from AOL news here.
Worth reading for the lack of cooperation revealed
and the need for community thinking that we need today.

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