Engineering Ethics

182 Engineering Ethics: An Industrial Perspective

and other waters near U.S. shores. This enhanced tsunami warning system,

which will cost $37.5 million, is expected to be fully operational by mid 2007

(Williamson, 2005; Ross, 2005).

On June 30, 2005, the United Nations ocean commission agreed to work

with 27 countries on a similar tsunami warning system for the Indian

Ocean. The network, which is expected to operational by July 2006, is

being financed by the individual countries, often with large injections of

foreign aid (AP, 2005b).

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS

There are no applicable regulations.

AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE

Samith Thammasaroj, a native Thai citizen, studied electrical and elec-

tronics engineering at the University of Vermont. There he changed his

name to Smith. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in 1962, he returned

to Thailand and joined the Thai Meteorology Service (AP, 2005a). Quickly

mastering Thailand’s predictable weather patterns, which revolve around

wet and dry seasons, Thammasaroj decided to focus his spare energy on

seismology. He began to study earthquakes and tsunamis, even though

they were not considered a major problem in Thailand.

As he rose up the ranks of the meteorology department, Thammasaroj

ordered staff to begin collecting earthquake data. He traveled to China to

meet with seismologists. Noting that every tsunami he studied in the Pacific

had been initiated by an earthquake of at least 7.4 in magnitude,

Thammasaroj came to believe that a tsunami was possible locally because

of pressures mounting along the region’s fault lines. More disturbingly, the

popular tourist area Phuket (south of Khao Lak) was in the direct path of a

likely tsunami (Barta, 2005). In a letter to the Director-General of the

Department of Local Administration, he presented some worst case sce-

nario measures for official consideration. His letter also included a 10-point

plan on tsunami preparation. Three of the 10 points that could have saved

many lives were: (7) the need for a tsunami disaster drill, (9) public instruc-

tion on techniques that would help reduce tsunami damage, and (10)

government agency creation of advance plans to deal with tsunamis. None

of these recommendations was implemented.

Later, after Thammasaroj became Deputy Permanent Secretary of the

now-defunct Communications Ministry, he wrote a letter of complaint to

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