Thailand will have an initial tsunami warning system in place by April, with a fully operative system installed within the next two years, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed Saturday.

The prime minister told voters via his weekly radio program Saturday morning that Thailand would construct a warning system without delay, reported the state-run Thai News Agency.

Thailand has said that it will go alone and build a tsunami warning system without the help of other countries in the region, but has indicated that it will spend 400 million baht (US$1.1 million) to help set up a regional system if other countries cooperate, the agency said.

An initial warning system is now expected to be in place by the end of March or the beginning of April, while a more permanent system will take another 18-24 months to become fully operative.

France has said that it will send scholarship students to Thailand, while Finland is also sending groups of tourists to the country, the agency said. 
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2005)