BANGKOK — Panic swept through Thailand’s capital Monday morning as government workers fled buildings over fears of another earthquake—only for authorities to confirm the tremors were nothing but nerves and pre-existing cracks.

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Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra rushed to quell the hysteria after premises including Building A of the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Rd, the Ministry of Labour in Din Daeng district and court buildings on Ratchadaphisek Road evacuated en masse. “Let me be clear: No quake hit Bangkok today,” she declared at the Chatuchak collapse site, where foreign rescuers still search for missing construction workers. “Those cracks? Many were already there.”

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The false alarms exposed a city on edge four days after Myanmar’s deadly 7.7-magnitude quake sent real tremors through Bangkok. At the Government Complex, civil servants spilled onto lawns clutching laptops after reporting swaying sensations. Chulalongkorn Hospital moved patients outdoors as nurses described “walls creaking”—only to later admit the cracks were old.

Panic over possible aftershock prompts evacuations
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Multiple buildings in Bangkok were evacuated on Monday after reports of swaying sparked panic over a possible aftershock, though Thai authorities dismissed the concerns, urging the public to await official confirmation.
The… pic.twitter.com/8kfB150qx3

— Thenationthailand (@Thenationth) March 31, 2025

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt blamed “earthquake syndrome,” a psychosomatic condition where people feel phantom tremors. “Our hotlines are flooded with calls from dizzy residents,” he said, announcing 1555 as an official rumor-busting line. The Meteorological Department confirmed a minor aftershock did strike Myanmar but nowhere near Thailand.

Yet the damage was done: The Revenue Department sent staff home for the week, while armored vehicles sat abandoned outside military HQ. At the Criminal Court, judges in robes milled about parking lots until engineers gave the all-clear.

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As Thailand walks a tightrope between trauma and normalcy, its leaders have one message: Check facts before fleeing. “Don’t trust viral videos,” the PM warned—even as her own inspection of the Chatuchak rubble underscored why Bangkok remains jumpy.

-Thailand News (TN)