BANGKOK, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Director-General of the Meteorological Department of Thailand, Suparerk Tansriratanawong, has been transferred to a new post in the Office of the Prime Minister, Government Spokesman Jakrapob Penkair announced Tuesday morning.

    Jakrapob was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying that a press conference that the change was ordered by the cabinet at its weekly meeting here on Tuesday morning.

    "The cabinet ordered that Suparerk be transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister to help a newly-established government team to set up an early warning system for any earthquakes or tsunamis in the country in the future," he disclosed.

    "The team is headed by Smith Tumsaroch, the former director-general of the Meteorological Department, who was recently appointed to be a new Vice Minister for the Office of the Prime Minister being in charge of setting up the early warning system in the country," the government spokesman said.

    The cabinet's order followed last week's tsunami disaster in Thailand's six southern provinces, including Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Trang, Ranong and Satun, leaving nearly 5,200 dead, over 8,400 injured and nearly 4,000 still missing.

    The disaster on Dec. 26 took place nearly two hours after the world strongest earthquake, measured on 8.7 on the Richter scale, hit Indonesia's tourist resort island of Sumatra. Enditem