BANGKOK, 30 Mac:  Thailand menegaskan bahawa negara itu selamat untuk dikunjungi oleh pelancong selepas gempa bumi dahsyat melanda rantau ini, dengan menteri pelancongannya berkata bahawa tiada pelancong yang tercedera dan tiada lokasi pelancongan yang terjejas, lapor agensi berita Jerman (dpa).

Dalam satu hantaran di X, beliau berkata bahawa “perjalanan, hotel, dan acara akan berjalan seperti biasa.

“Pemeriksaan keselamatan sedang dijalankan. Polis pelancong memantau lokasi utama. Tiada pembatalan perjalanan.”

Lapangan terbang antarabangsa, termasuk di Bangkok dan di pulau peranginan popular Phuket, juga telah kembali beroperasi seperti biasa, menurut kenyataan daripada pihak pengendali.

Sebelum ini, terminal dan landasan telah diperiksa bagi memastikan tiada kerosakan.

Sektor pelancongan menyumbang 12 peratus kepada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) Thailand dan menggaji lebih daripada 20 peratus daripada jumlah tenaga kerja negara itu, menurut ucapan gabenor bank pusat tahun lalu.

Gempa bumi yang melanda Myanmar mengakibatkan 17 kematian di Bangkok setakat ini.

Sekurang-kurangnya 83 orang dilaporkan masih hilang manakala 32 lagi cedera, menurut pihak berkuasa.-TVS

BANGKOK: Thai police on Sunday arrested four Chinese nationals for unlawfully entering the site of an under construction building that collapsed after a powerful earthquake in Chatuchak District here, in an attempt to retrieve documents.

Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Napasilp Phulsawat, revealed that the four men allegedly entered the restricted zone without authorisation and removed 37 files from the rear of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) construction site.

"After receiving reports from the public regarding individuals removing documents from the site, authorities launched an investigation.

"Police apprehended one Chinese national near the disaster zone, who identified himself as the project director overseeing the building's construction," he said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The under construction 30-storey SAO building collapsed after a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday.

Napasilp said all documents had been taken into police custody for examination, and investigators would consult engineers to analyse the seized materials for evidence related to the collapse.

He added that initial questioning revealed that the men — employees of a joint venture company involved in the project — possessed valid visas, work permits, and passports, confirming their legal employment.

On Friday, Bangkok's Governor declared the area a disaster zone, prohibiting access to unauthorised personnel under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act.

The Chatuchak District Office is preparing a formal complaint to charge the individuals under the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act.

Police will summon all four suspects for further legal proceedings once the case is officially filed. Under the Act, unauthorised entry into a restricted disaster area carries a penalty of up to three months' imprisonment, a fine of up to 6,000 Baht, or both.

Authorities have urged the public to avoid entering the disaster zone, as warning signs and restrictions have been clearly posted. Anyone needing access must obtain prior authorisation from the Bangkok Governor. – BERNAMA

Residents scoured collapsed buildings searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 17 in neighbouring Thailand.

The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

Tea shop owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a collapsed restaurant on a main road in his neighbourhood early yesterday, tossing bricks aside one by one.

“About seven people died here when the quake struck,” he said. “I’m looking for more bodies but I know there cannot be any survivors.

“We don’t know how many bodies there could be but we are looking.”

About an hour later, a small aftershock struck, sending people scurrying out of a hotel for safety, following a similar tremor felt late Saturday evening.

And around 2pm, another aftershock – of 5.1-magnitude according to the US Geological Survey – sent people into the streets in alarm once again, temporarily halting rescue work.

The night before, rescuers had pulled a woman out alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building, with applause ringing out as she was carried by stretcher to an ambulance.

Myanmar’s ruling junta said in a statement yesterday that about 1,700 people have been confirmed dead so far, 3,400 injured, and around 300 more are missing.

But the true scale of the disaster remains unclear in the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.

At a destroyed Buddhist examination hall in Mandalay, Myanmar and Chinese responders worked to find buried victims yesterday.

A coordinator on the site said more than 180 monks were sitting an exam inside when the quake struck and collapsed a whole section of the building.

So far, 21 people have been rescued while 13 bodies have been recovered, but at least two more people were still believed alive in the rubble, rescuers said.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity.

Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.

Myanmar has already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

Anti-junta fighters in the country have declared a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected regions starting yesterday, the shadow “National Unity Government” said in a statement.

The UN said overnight that a severe lack of medical equipment is hindering Myanmar’s response to the quake, while aid agencies have warned that the country is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. — AFP