Expert downplays quake threat

Hundreds of quakes occur along the Three Pagodas Fault per year in Kanchanaburi, although they are too small to be noticed, according to a geological expert.

Prinya Putthapiban, an expert at the Geoscience Department of Mahidol University, said the Three Pagodas Fault runs parallel to the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar and the Ranong Fault in Thailand’s south, leaving little room for it to move and create powerful earthquakes.

“It is unlikely that the quakes along the Three Pagodas Fault will be as destructive as those detected in southern China, northern Myanmar and Nepal,” said Mr Prinya.

He was speaking after a recent earthquake in Kanchanaburi, which had its epicentre near tambon Nong Lu of Sangkhla…