Disaster warning towers to resume construction in Thailand

....after having been put on hold after last year's military coup:

Work was suspended because the military-led government was worried it would swing opinion in favour of the deposed Thaksin administration.

Chairman Smith Dharmasarojana said the centre intended to install about 200 warning towers in the North, Northeast and Central regions and along the Thai Gulf. It had already installed 99 towers in six provinces. The towers are equipped with sirens which can be heard up to 1.5km away and will give warning of any natural disaster, not just a tsunami.

Via Bangkok Pundit, who notes:

Yeah, because avoiding a repeat of a disaster where thousands of people
died must always be secondary to the government's goal of making Thaksin look bad.

Sad to see that we're not the only ones where political considerations by those in power take precedent over what might be good for the public.