BANGKOK, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center Saturday warned Phuket and other provinces in the country's southern Andaman Sea region to pay close attention to any earthquake in the Andaman Sea that may cause Tsunami, according to a government official.

    Phuket Governor Udomsak Asavarangkura said Saturday that the National Disaster Warning Center warned that 31 earthquakes measuring from 4.0 to 5.3 on the Richter scale took place in recent two days on the seabed some 400-600 kilometers west of the Ranong coast.

    According to the Center, the quakes were at irregular intervals, but the epicenter is an undersea mountain which has probably resulted from a new undersea volcano.

    "If a huge explosion occurs, it could cause a new tsunami," the warning center said.

    Thailand's six southern coastal provinces on the Andaman Sea including Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun, were devastated by a tsunami of unprecedented proportions and intensity on December 26, 2004.

    The center urged residents to pay attention to earthquake and tsunami indicators, and to closely monitor earthquakes in the Andaman Sea.

    The authority also advised fishermen and other coastal and deepwater shipping in the region to take particular note of peculiar movements of ocean waves and the behavior of marine animals.

    The center urged those who notice the peculiar signs to immediate report through the center's hotline, or other local government agencies soonest possible.

    However, Phuket authorities have not announced an evacuation, the governor said, or set off other alarms, as the intensity of the earthquakes at just over 5 on the Richter scale is not considered very dangerous. Enditem