From http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142625,00.html

Officials in Thailand issued the only warnings of the impending disaster, but broadcasts beamed to tourist resorts in the country's south underestimated the threat and a Web site caution was not posted until three hours after the first waves hit.

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>Quite likely, they didn't take the warning signs very seriously - that is, they didn't think that it was really going to be that bad.