PUTRAJAYA, March 30, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The Malaysian government is taking measures to speed up the dissemination of news and information about natural disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis, to ensure the safety of the public, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister.

Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis said the government wants to discuss with television stations on how to break such news faster, The Star reported Wednesday, March 30.

One way is to establish an automatic link-up with media websites in the country so that information on such event would go down to the people fast, Bernama News Agency reported.

“This would mean that we prepare a statement and they allow us to go right into their websites with it,” he told reporters after attending the National Information Technology Council meeting Tuesday.

“We really need to cut down the time for any important information (on natural disasters) to reach the people because it involves national interest and public security,” he said.

The Malaysian minister added that the proposed usage of the short messaging system (SMS) to inform people of any disaster would be done earlier than planned.

Jarjis further said that although there was no tsunami threat this time, information on such matters would have to be disseminated fast, especially through television and radio, The Star reported.

The massive quake, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, struck the Nias island off Sumatra and devastated the main town, Gunungsitoli, knocking out its airstrip late Monday, March 28.

The minister said that he was informed about the tremor 15 minutes after it happened before proceeding to warn members of the public on their safety.

“Some stations were not on the air. We had communication coming in at 1:30 a.m. and I immediately went on radio and ntv7 after 2 a.m.,” he said.

Jamaluddin said that what happened is a “lesson learnt”.

“This is something we are trying to talk to them (TV stations). If something happens at 4 a.m., there is no transmission, so how do you disseminate information?” he asked.

He said that although there was no tsunami threat this time, the public would still have to be informed of this fact.

Asked whether the government would speed up efforts to install the tsunami early warning system, he said it would take time.

The RM19mil tsunami system, to be set up in collaboration with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Japan and Hawaii, is expected to be operational by year-end.

The epicentre of the Monday quake was located just 200 miles (320 kilometres) from the 9.0 quake last December 26, which triggered killer tidal waves, leaving nearly 300,000 people killed and missing across Asia and Africa.

The huge tremor spread terror in western Indonesia, Sri Lanka and coastal parts of India, Malaysia and Thailand, the areas devastated by last December’s tsunami, prompting them to issue warnings of imminent tsunamis but they were later cancelled.

A view of the destruction left by the massive earthquake which hit Nias on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The Malaysian moves to come up with the fastest way possible to alert the people as stories of “moments of horror” witnessed by some during Monday’s tremor in Indonesia were still coming under light.

A Thai journalist, who was in the South with other media representatives to cover a seminar of civil servants to assess the performance of CEO governors’ work plans in the provinces of Songkhla and Satun, was one of these.

Giving her personal account of the event, The Nation’s deputy business editor, Achara Pongvutitham said she suddenly woke up at quarter past 11 Monday night thinking something was wrong with her 25th floor hotel room.

“It seemed like I was dreaming – entering an exciting adventure. The bed and the whole room were shaking.

“I sat up in bed for some seconds. Was this really happening? Then it started again, but stronger than before, and with a sound like thunder all around me. I got my feet to the floor, but for a while I couldn’t get my balance.”

She added she then ran to the door, snatched it open and saw many people, just as frightened as she was, opening doors and spilling into the corridor.

“In the midst of the panicky crowd in the softly-lit hotel corridor, I thought immediately of December’s tsunami devastation.”

“Fortunately, the escape was not packed with people. As we scrambled down, pieces of cement were cracking off the building and showering down the fire escape stairs.”

Reaching the ground at 11.23 p.m. (Thailand Local Time), she whispered a quick thanks to the owner of the hotel, who had “thoughtfully ordered construction strong enough to withstand a big earthquake”.

She recalled that pathways around the hotel were crowded with people in pyjamas, wearing shower caps, wrapped in towels or simple sarongs, meandering about, oblivious to their appearance and stunned by the frightening sensation of being caught in a big earthquake.

“Slowly, as they realised the danger had passed, they began to sit down in murmuring groups, as my media colleagues and myself assembled.”

Monday marked the 100th day after the December tsunami devastated Thailand’s Andaman coastal provinces, Phang Nga, Krabi, Phuket and Ranong, she said.

“It occurred to me that life and business was just beginning to return to normal – people were just beginning to feel safe again – and here I was, in the middle of a second shock wave that would bring all the fear and depression flooding back again.