Bangkok: Senate President confirms parliament is safe, ready to meet tomorrow after practicing a virtual reality exercise to ensure that in case of a disaster, it can be moved both on land and water.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Mongkol Surassajja, President of the Senate, led senators, including Mr. Noppadol Inna, Mr. Chananarong Phunrungroj, Mr. Chip Jitniyom, Senators, and executives of the Office of the Secretary-General of the Senate, led by Mrs. Pannita Sathanthraipop, Secretary-General of the Senate, to attend the meeting of the Senate's Special Incident Management Committee for Earthquakes. The meeting aimed to plan lessons learned and prepare for a virtual rehearsal according to the Senate's Special Incident Management Plan (Earthquake) in preparation for the Senate meetings on March 31 and April 1.
The Senate President led the executives and personnel of the Senate Secretariat to practice in accordance with the Senate's special event management plan (earthquake case). The Senate Secretariat has prepared hats, reflective vests, whistles, and flashlights for senators attending the Senate meeting to prepare and protect themselves during the evacuation in the Senate meeting room.
Mr. Mongkol stated that an earthquake evacuation drill was conducted to prepare for the Senate meeting tomorrow, March 31. From the inspection of the Parliament building (Senate side) together with experts, it was confirmed that the building is stable and safe for the performance of duties of the Senate members and personnel of the Senate Secretariat. In the event of an earthquake, an incident command center will be established with the Senate Secretary-General as the incident commander responsible for managing the disaster. Equipment for moving and evacuation routes have been prepared, along with plans for the aftermath of the incident to ensure the safety and confidence of Senate members performing their duties in the Parliament building.
Mr. Mongkol further explained that the Marine Police participated in the rehearsal. In the event of an injured person, they will be transported by water. The transportation to Vajira Hospital will take 5 minutes, and within 15 minutes to Siriraj Hospital. For moving a large number of personnel, if land routes are obstructed due to traffic congestion, the Navy will assist in moving them out of the Parliament building to a safe location.
"I would like everyone to be assured that the Parliament building is safe and can operate normally. During the incident, there was a rehearsal of the plan and preparation of equipment for evacuation and preparation of evacuation routes. Preparations for the aftermath of the incident have been completed," the Senate President said.