Vasilis Stergiou, a Greek entrepreneur who has been living and working in Thailand for over 10 years, spoke about the situation in the country—particularly in the capital, Bangkok—following the devastating earthquake on Friday, which had its epicenter in Myanmar (formerly Burma). The interview aired on Voice of Greece, on the show “Our Global Voice” with Dimitris Kontogiannis.
Mr. Stergiou stated that aftershocks have caused further damage to buildings, and a large portion of Bangkok’s population has moved to other areas with lower-rise buildings. Many people remain skeptical of government assurances that everything is safe and that they can return to their homes and workplaces or use the elevated railway. He also pointed out that Thailand is not a seismically active country, which has worsened the situation since people are not culturally prepared to handle such events. Additionally, the government has yet to announce any freeze on interest payments for mortgage loans used to purchase apartments in the capital.