Flights At Suvarnabhumi Airport Delayed As Repairs Of Cracks Continue

[Tony Clifton]

I just have a feeling that, if the decision was made to close the airport and move back to Don Muang until repairs are completed, it is quite possible that they would never reopen the airport...Not sure if they can ever get everything repaired and operating properly.

Turn it into a museum of corruption and detention centre for boys in brown, corrupt politicians, businessmen and govt. officials. You'll need the room.

Edited January 26, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[sonnyJ]

Imagine that,,

Museum of Corruption Alive.

Not enough toilets and you will have to travel on the horizontal escalators all day to get back to where you began. And it will whirl around infinit.

[Scott]

What a waste. And this was a valuable eco-system for migrating birds. Now it appears that it's worthless to everyone.

[tartempion]

Why don't they just close the place and move all the flights back to good old Don Muang, and then do a proper repair of all the faults.

Please don't criticise this marvellous achievement soooo much praised by many on this board....LOL and TIT

[Jai Dee]

Chart Thai leader suggests re-using Don Muang Airport

Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-Archa (บรรหาร ศิลปอาชา) has suggested re-using Don Muang Airport as there have been problems with aircrafts landing on cracked concretes at Suvarnabhumi Airport's runways.

Mr. Banharn has urged officials to prepare the re-opening of Don Muang Airport again once Suvarnabhumi is incapable of accommodating the influx of aircrafts on its runways.

In addition, he expressed his sympathy over the Asset Examination Committee (AEC) as some agencies refused to give cooperation to, causing the difficulties in verifying cases.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 26 January 2007

[Mid]

[SwaziBird]

Old Thai proverbs shed light on airport fiasco........

.....It's hard to believe how badly things have turned out at Suvarnabhumi. Only the old proverbs can say it all.

Editorial Opinion by Thanong Khanthong - The Nation - 26 January 2007

What a wonderful Editorial Opinion JD

So there you have it, tokolosh, if you wish a more imaginative and illustrative explanation of TIT, I can't do better than refer you to Khun Thanong's excellent and amusing article.

GOT IT !

GO TIT !

Thanks. Mobi.

Cheers

[zxray]

January 25 2007, Thai air 747s, landing and taking off from U-Tapao runway, built by the U.S. Air Force, in 1965, for B52 bombers. I watched one land, and there were 2 parked there already. Gotta love it.........someone knows how to build a runway.

Ray

[mitrapaap]

Think it is supposed to mean "This is Thailand" - a phrase unimaginative people use to descibe what they dont understand.

On the contrary my imaginitive friend - the acronym is used to describe something we do understand.

BTW it never fails to amaze me why some people cannot resist the urge to resort to personal insults, where none were neither given, nor intended.

Didn't think I'd start a war !

TIT ?

thanks guys.

Cheers

Don't worry, this always happens, not because TIT, but becuase FAF

[bahtbox]

I wonder how much face Thailand and its "clever" government have gained with this sorry fiasco.

They are the laughing stock of just about the whole world but will they ever realise it? I doubt it.

Taksin should be held responsible for this whole bunch of rubbish.

Bahbox

[reddevil_06510]

I guess we all know why they call it the field of gold, just ask the contractors.

This is hillarious..... everyone running around acting like there is a quick fix .....

Well actually there is, you line up everyone involved and shoot them in the head, even place them back to back so you can save on bullets.

Then you could turn around and charge the government for the number of bullets you were supposed to use.

Or better yet, use BB's charge for bullets, then have the injured did their own graves, this way you save on the labor too....

After all we really do not want to change anything, because I am still waiting for my chance to get some under table money.

Its truely amazing with all the propaganda about Singapore wanting to devour Thailand, just ask anyone who reads the Thai press, that it is really the Thai's that are destroying their own country... but atleast they all wore the same color shirts while they did it.

I look at my niece and nephew and worry for their future, can't wait until they are old enough to study overseas.

I all seriousness, lets all pray for the safety of the brave souls who have to pass through the "Pride of Thailand" until this issue is solved once and for all.

[Screws]

Old Thai proverbs shed light on airport fiasco

Why can't they do one thing right at Suvarnabhumi Airport? In a way, the Suvarnabhumi Airport mirrors Thai society.

We have an excellent location to be the transport hub of Southeast Asia. We are a great nation with a rich history (have you watched "The Legend of King Naresuan"?). We have the natural resources. We have the facilities. But we can't do things right.

Why?

You probably have to go back to the Thai proverbs or old Thai sayings to understand the particular traits that have given rise to the mother of all sloppy and corrupt projects - the new airport.

It took more than 40 years, an incredibly long time, to plan, design and build this airport, during which time politicians came and went. This is in line with the saying chao cham yen cham ('I just wash one dish in the morning and another dish in the evening'), which describes motionless people who are very economical with their energy and who rarely set their sights on getting anything done. Chao cham yen cham is most often used to describe civil servants who are lazy and lack the incentive to work. Well, that's why it took us 40 years to build the airport. Cracks have begun to appear in a taxiway and runway only four months after its opening. This has raised doubts about the standard of safety at the airport.

It all goes back to the time when politicians, civil servants and contractors colluded to fill in the land at Suvarnabhumi in a suk ao phao kin ('I'll eat it regardless of whether it's cooked or burnt') way. Suvarnabhumi was originally swampland with a high incidence of floods. Efforts to fill in the land began during the government of General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and continued through to the government of Chuan Leekpai.

Engineers and technicians will have to investigate whether the land at Suvarnabhumi was filled adequately enough to support the taxiway and runway. The authorities, at one time, used to allow some water into the land to alleviate flooding in nearby areas, possibly undermining the foundation of the taxiway and runway. So, now we have the cracks in a taxiway and runway as a result of this substandard practice.

We happened to have dishonest politicians, civil servants and contractors responsible for this, who went about their jobs in a manner that was suk ao phao kin. Suk ao phao kin means to do things sloppily or recklessly. This suk ao phao kin behaviour is another prominent Thai trait.

The roof of the terminal also leaks. You might substitute suk ao phao kin when referring to this approach to construction and call it loop na pa jamook ('I just need to stroke my face and patch up the nose then I can get away with it').

Don't forget to open up your umbrella once you are inside the terminal - it might rain!

During the six years of Thaksin Shinawatra's reign, construction of the airport terminal and other facilities got off the ground and it was eventually completed. This gave politicians and civil servants a good chance to revise the design and call in new contracts to facilitate bribes.

The contractors had to pay bia bai rai thang ('I have to pay money under the table all the way'). With the cost of the bia bai rai thang, the contractors had to compromise on the quality of the jobs they were hired to do.

While the Thaksin government was in power, politicians adopted a nam khuen hai reep tak ('I must fetch the water while the tide is high') approach. It was time for the opportunists to make money without fear of the consequences. They wanted to open Suvarnabhumi as quickly as possible because only then they could walk away with lucrative deals from the contractors. Now that Thaksin has gone, all the dirty tricks that occurred while the airport was built have become evident. The saying nam lot tor phut ('when the tide goes down, all the stumps show up') accurately captures this. The stench of corruption hovers over the procurement of the CTX luggage scanners and the underground power-line system. There are not enough toilets for passengers, as toilet bowls had to make way for shops.

Shortly after the coup, the military leaders asked the airport authorities if they were ready to open Suvarnabhumi or not. If things were not ready, they could delay the opening further. The authorities assured everybody that the airport was 100 per cent ready to open.

This haste to open Suvarnabhumi was an act of phak chi roi na ('topping my face with coriander just to get a way with it'). In July, two months before he was ousted, Thaksin had proudly launched a soft opening of the airport by flying from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi. He wanted the new airport to become a hallmark of his government's success.

As a result, we have an airport that is beautiful from the outside, but inside it is hollow. This is equivalent to khang nok sook sai khangnai pen kluang ('I look beautiful from the outside, but don't ever kiss me!') It's hard to believe how badly things have turned out at Suvarnabhumi. Only the old proverbs can say it all.

Editorial Opinion by Thanong Khanthong - The Nation - 26 January 2007

As far as I can see, the airport is within days of being shut down. I think the best solution would be to reopen Don Muang to international flights and some domestic flights. Other domestic flights can stay at SWB. That would reduce the capacity required of Don Muang, and give the international flights the strong runways they need.

Once the SWB runways start breaking up, the damage will increase very quickly, esp when it rains. Hydraulic fracture is the main cause of potholes, and their progress. A new road near my place (rebuilt about eight months ago) was breaking up fast, until the rains stopped 4 months ago. I doubt that SWB could survive one wet season.

IF the new government is serious about getting to the bottom of the corruption they should offer an amnesty to anyone with any information about it, not being directly involved, (and 'police protection' if requested), providing that they provide a full disclosure within 45 days; otherwise all will be charged as accessories after the fact - or before - for concealment.

Those involved may get leniency for full disclosure of their & others involvement; as a considerable reduction of their sentence AFTER sentencing, to be reinstated if it is found that a full & honest disclosure was not received.

[mark lamai]

cmon everybody ...

you just gotta love it..

just when the visa regs and FBA topics were going dry.

they throw us another beauty!!

this is the mother of all topics coz it aint gonna go away soon..

so lets have heaps of fun with it.

------------------------------------

name: melbourne tried 'Tullamarine" , a local working class suburb and an aboriginal name i think, later scrapped.

english translation of Suvarnabhumi is i believe " Sue Wanna Boom me", chinese girl i guess.

or it is possibly a question to the the lass named Sue.

the ancient mythical land of Suvarnabhumi is in dispute forever, Burma and south India are also possible locations, there is no evidence at all that it was ever in current Thai territory.

- i am glad to see that they have now started connecting flighs from Don Muang to Sue Boom,

- so far the cracks are only on taxi ways and pilots have been advised to steer around them,

thai pilots should not have a problem with this, given their car driver training.

- bidding is now open for the Don Muang duty free concession.

King Power may not have enough money left, having paid a lot for every inch of retail space at Sue Boom.

- rumour says that Thai Aiways are looking for a new fleet of STOL aircraft...

[Sunbelt Asia]

Prasert seeks speedy Don Muang decision

BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

There is an urgent need for the government to shift all domestic air traffic to Don Muang, immediately fix all the construction flaws and build two new runways at the troubled Suvarnabhumi Airport, says a local aviation industry leader. Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, chief executive of Bangkok Airways, said problems at Bangkok's new airport were reaching a critical point.

The founder of the 39-year-old privately owned carrier is the first airline executive to express grave concern over more discoveries of multiple cracks at taxiways and runways at Suvarnabhumi.

''The most serious problem to happen to an airport is cracks in runways, which have critical implications on safety for jetliners and passengers,'' he said.

''What I envisage today is that there is a good chance the cracks would spread to a wider area unless remedial actions are taken immediately.''

First, Dr Prasert advocated that the government return all domestic commercial flights to the 92-year-old Don Muang airport to alleviate traffic stress on Suvarnabhumi by 30%, and to slow the spread of cracks and subsidence of runways.

International flights, which constitute 70% of air traffic through Suvarnabhumi, should remain at the new airport, which was opened on Sept 28 amid criticisms of deficiencies and allegations of corruption.

Second, he said, officials should start building the third and fourth runways at Suvarnabhumi right away while also repairing the existing runways and taxiways.

Furthermore, they should speedily correct all the flaws such as cracks and leaking roofs in the terminal, build more toilets and install more escalators, he said.

He said Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) should spare no effort and money to revive Suvarnabhumi to regain falling confidence among the aviation industry and travellers.

''In fact, it could be an ideal solution if they could completely shut down Suvarnabhumi for repairs and additional construction. But that would create even more problems and chaos'' as a shutdown could last up to two years, he said.

The runway and taxiway cracks apparently are linked to an unproven construction technique using a soil-compacting method known as PVD rather than the conventional means of using concrete columns for foundations, he pointed out.

He warned that AoT should insist on using the standard method for building the third and fourth runways.

Dr Prasert said the new runways should be made available in the next two years, noting that a 3,600-metre runway could be built within 18 months at the cost of 10-12 billion baht.

Once the new runways and repairs are completed, all commercial flights should be go through the new airport.

Ideally, he said, any country should have one main airport, unless there is a question of capacity insufficiency, he said.

''Of course, Thailand will lose out in terms of lower air traffic and national image, but we must be brave enough to admit the flaws and correct them rather than having the world saying that our airport is unsafe,'' he said.

The problems at Suvarnabhumi have already reduced its capacity from 72 flights per hour to about 60, according to AoT.

Bangkok Airways is prepared to move its domestic flights back to Don Muang even though it would lose connections with its international services and face higher costs in running two bases.

''We have no choice but to face the same karma,'' Dr Prasert said.

The AoT board recently resolved to shift non-connecting domestic flights to Don Muang. To date only three airlines _ Thai Airways International, Nok Air and One-Two-Go _ have

[britmaveric]

''In fact, it could be an ideal solution if they could completely shut down Suvarnabhumi for repairs and additional construction. But that would create even more problems and chaos'' as a shutdown could last up to two years, he said.

Reality finally setting in???

[sbk]

Prasert seeks speedy Don Muang decision

BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

There is an urgent need for the government to shift all domestic air traffic to Don Muang, immediately fix all the construction flaws and build two new runways at the troubled Suvarnabhumi Airport, says a local aviation industry leader. Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, chief executive of Bangkok Airways, said problems at Bangkok's new airport were reaching a critical point.

The founder of the 39-year-old privately owned carrier is the first airline executive to express grave concern over more discoveries of multiple cracks at taxiways and runways at Suvarnabhumi.

''The most serious problem to happen to an airport is cracks in runways, which have critical implications on safety for jetliners and passengers,'' he said.

''What I envisage today is that there is a good chance the cracks would spread to a wider area unless remedial actions are taken immediately.''

First, Dr Prasert advocated that the government return all domestic commercial flights to the 92-year-old Don Muang airport to alleviate traffic stress on Suvarnabhumi by 30%, and to slow the spread of cracks and subsidence of runways.

International flights, which constitute 70% of air traffic through Suvarnabhumi, should remain at the new airport, which was opened on Sept 28 amid criticisms of deficiencies and allegations of corruption.

Second, he said, officials should start building the third and fourth runways at Suvarnabhumi right away while also repairing the existing runways and taxiways.

Furthermore, they should speedily correct all the flaws such as cracks and leaking roofs in the terminal, build more toilets and install more escalators, he said.

He said Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) should spare no effort and money to revive Suvarnabhumi to regain falling confidence among the aviation industry and travellers.

''In fact, it could be an ideal solution if they could completely shut down Suvarnabhumi for repairs and additional construction. But that would create even more problems and chaos'' as a shutdown could last up to two years, he said.

The runway and taxiway cracks apparently are linked to an unproven construction technique using a soil-compacting method known as PVD rather than the conventional means of using concrete columns for foundations, he pointed out.

He warned that AoT should insist on using the standard method for building the third and fourth runways.

Dr Prasert said the new runways should be made available in the next two years, noting that a 3,600-metre runway could be built within 18 months at the cost of 10-12 billion baht.

Once the new runways and repairs are completed, all commercial flights should be go through the new airport.

Ideally, he said, any country should have one main airport, unless there is a question of capacity insufficiency, he said.

''Of course, Thailand will lose out in terms of lower air traffic and national image, but we must be brave enough to admit the flaws and correct them rather than having the world saying that our airport is unsafe,'' he said.

The problems at Suvarnabhumi have already reduced its capacity from 72 flights per hour to about 60, according to AoT.

Bangkok Airways is prepared to move its domestic flights back to Don Muang even though it would lose connections with its international services and face higher costs in running two bases.

''We have no choice but to face the same karma,'' Dr Prasert said.

The AoT board recently resolved to shift non-connecting domestic flights to Don Muang. To date only three airlines _ Thai Airways International, Nok Air and One-Two-Go _ have

Link to a source please

[chuchok]

PVD = Prefab Vertical Drains???

Edited January 26, 2007 by chuchok

[cclub75]

Link to a source please

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/26Jan2007_biz50.php

[mark lamai]

PVD

Possibly Very Defective

[xbusman]

Geotecnical Engineering Problems and tentative solutions in Thailand

Suttisak Soralump, Ph.D.

Geotechnical Engineering Research and Development Center

Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering

Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

This paper discusses the geotechnical engineering problems in Thailand and the solution that practiced in the country. The overview of the geology of the country shows the cause of the problems. Two main problems are discussed which are the problems related to the thick soft clay deposit and the landslides problems. The bearing capacity of the foundation, the stability of the excavation work and excessive settlement of the earth structure are the problems that caused by thick and very soft Bangkok clay. The tentative solutions such as the ground improvement techniques, the development of bored pile foundation and diaphragm walls were discussed. Another discussion is the landslides problem. The trend of the research works and the solutions are presented. Bioengineering and the computer program that incorporated the benefit of the roots system for slope protection were discussed.

Introduction

Geotechnical engineering in Thailand play important role in the infrastructure development since the geology of the country tend to cause engineering problems. However, many construction projects and research developments in a past decade have been exciting for Thai geotechnical engineers, for example the construction of new Bangkok international airport, the first underground train system project, the first sky train system in Bangkok, the construction of the largest RCC dam in the world, the use of ground improvement techniques in many new highways system, the development of bioengineering for slope protection, the development of the bored pile and diaphragm construction. Those projects come with the unique problems but created great development in Thai geotecnical engineering society.

Geology of Thailand

Thailand situated in the Southeast Asian region. The general geographic of the country (Figure 1) consists of the mountain area in the northern part and the long mountain ridge extends to the western and the southern part. The northeastern part is large area of plateau. The central part of the country is the flat area, which made of the sediment from the mountain in the surrounding area. Sediment soil in the central plane of the country can be distinctly divided into two types (Poopath, 2003). One is the Fresh-water sediment, which covers the upper part of the land area, while the other, the deltaic sediment, covers the outlet of the Chao Phya River in the lower region. Since the deltaic sediment is mainly soft clay with an average thickness of about 15 meters, various constructions had faced the difficulties. Bangkok city situated in the lower region of the central part and close to the Gulf of Thailand, the development of the infrastructure in the capital city is directly encountered with the soft soil deposit.

Figure 1. Geologic map of Thailand.

Soft clay related problems

As discussed above, it can be seen that the city of Bangkok and surrounding area is situated over the thick deposit of soft clay. The typical soil profile of Bangkok subsoil is shown in the Figure 2. The ground water table is level at about 1 to 2 meters below the ground surface. The subsoil consists of the layer of top crust underlain by the soft to very soft clay, which has the thickness of about 8 to 15 meters. The closer to the Gulf of Thailand, the thicker the soft clay deposit can be found. The water content of the soft clay is ranged from 80-140 %. The liquidity index is range from X to XX. The shear strength of soft Bangkok clay is quite low and ranged from 0.6 to 1.5 t/m3. The soft to very soft clay layer is underlain by the medium and then stiff clay layer. The series of clay layers are underlain by the first sand layer, which located at about 20 meters depth. Pile tip of the low-rise buildings are located here. Beneath the first sand layer are the series of the stiff clay layer followed by another sand layer and so on. The bedrock is estimated at the depth of 500 to 1000 meters from ground surface.

As the properties shown, soft Bangkok clay can be described as a thick deposit of soft to very soft clay with low shear strength and very high water content, high plasticity and stay mostly in the liquid state. Therefore, Geotechnical engineering plays important role in the construction in Bangkok and vicinity area. Many researches have been investigated in order to accurately predict the behavior of soft Bangkok clay.

Figure 2. The general soil profile of Bangkok subsoil.

Bearing capacity and stability problems

The thickness and low shear strength of soft clay causes the low bearing capacity and stability problems. Thai ancestors have developed foundation technique that used to increase the bearing capacity of soft soil for almost 2000 years ago. The early techniques has been done, for examples, preloading of Phra Prathom Chedi pagoda, shallow compaction, floating foundation by series of lying logs, step footing, short wooden pile, pottery embedded foundation, etc. Those were the early techniques where concrete pile was not known. Now, pile foundation is a common practice for building foundation. For the common structures where the building load are not too large, the pile have to drive through the soft soil and tip at the first sand layer which stay at about 20 meters deep. For the high-rise building, the pile tip has to place in the second sand layer, which located at about 50 meters from ground surface and only the bore pile technique can be done. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the building in Bangkok area that the foundation cost is almost half of the total structural cost.

The problem of low bearing capacity of the soft soil can be solved commonly by transferring the load to the firm layer by the piles. Many researches in Thailand have been done to improve the piling technique in both construction and design, for example, the use of polymer-based slurry to improve the construction time and increase bore pile capacity (Thasnanipan et al, 2002).

Beside the advancement in pile foundation for buildings that solved the bearing capacity problem pretty well, another challenge problem from the thick and soft clay deposit is the excavation work problems. These excavation works include the excavation work for underground constructions, excavation work for foundation and etc. The problems are found in the form of the instability of the retaining structures, the excessive lateral displacement and etc. Therefore, it is uncommon for the small building in Bangkok area to have a basement room. However, for the high-rise buildings in the prime area, underground works are common. Conventional sheet pile with bracing system is normally used for the temporally excavation, the excessive lateral displacement cannot be avoided in some area. Diaphragm walls are normally used as a permanent structure for deep excavation. Barrette piles were cooperated in the diaphragm wall to increase the stability of the system and proved to be successful (Thasnanipan et al, 2000). However, some failure happened and the lesson has been learnt. The collapse during construction of an inlet pumping station in 1997 brought concern to geotechnical engineers in Thailand about the design of deep excavation without adequate attention to the instrumentations and monitoring system (Teparaksa, 1999). Figure 3 shows the plan view and the failure.

Figure 3. Collapse of an inlet pumping station (Teparaksa, 1999).

Post-construction excessive settlement

Beside the bearing capacity and stability problems, the post-construction excessive settlement is also the main problem of the earth structure in Bangkok area. The consolidation settlement of the soft Bangkok clay due to the construction load is large and takes long time. The highway embankment faced this problem directly. Many main highways had to be reconstructed after few years of service since the highway sink too much. Serious studies had been performed to monitor and study the settlement behavior of the highway (Bergado et al, 1990). Moreover, decades ago the plan of new Bangkok international airport was set up. Many researches have been done for decades in the target location in order to study the behavior of soft clay improved by preloading and vertical drain technique (Bergado et al, 1997). Ground improvement technique has been increasing used and developed for highways. So far, two kinds of ground improvement technique have been used which are, first, the technique to accelerate the consolidation process by drain the water out of the clay. Those techniques are such as the preloading and the vertical drain technique. Today, prefabricated vertical drain is commonly used in highway construction (Ruenkrairergsa, 1997). The technique has been proven to be successful in many highways. The foundations of runways of the new Bangkok international airport were also treated by vertical drain technique. Second kind of the technique to reduce the excessive settlement is the technique of transferring the embankment load to the firm stratum based on the pile foundation concept. Using piled embankment, soft clay deposit is no longer taken most of the embankment load and the settlement will be limited. In the past concrete pile has been used in a highway construction but did not satisfy due to the high construction cost (Siripanoosatien, 1993). Therefore, soil-cement column technique has been studied and used in the highway construction because of more acceptable cost than concrete pile and short construction period than the vertical drain technique (Soralump, 1999). Moreover, soil-cement column was also used as the retaining structure for the underground work and slope protection.

Differential settlement between the on-pile and on-earth structure is also a problem of the highway in both structural damage and traffic obstruction. The approach of the bridge is the example. The attempt of using the lightweight material as a fill material is still in the process. The uses of PVD and soil-cement column technique have proved to be helpful.

[JRinger]

Chart Thai leader suggests re-using Don Muang Airport

Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-Archa (บรรหาร ศิลปอาชา) has suggested re-using Don Muang Airport as there have been problems with aircrafts landing on cracked concretes at Suvarnabhumi Airport's runways.

/quote]

Guess he doesn't read the newspaper, or heard that Don Muang Airport is undergoing repairs on the runway and couldn't be used for at least another 45 days........

[Felt 35]

The Airport or Thailand?

Hopefully both, but that will take some time......

I have a simple solution for you.. Bugger off.

Don’t looks like simple solutions is the way to go regarding

The matter Suvarnabhumi!

[Jai Dee]

Minister of Tourism proposes relocating some aircraft operations back to Don Muang Airport

The Minister of Tourism and Sports supports the relocation of some aircraft operations back to Don Muang Airport.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Suwit Yothmanee (สุวิทย์ ยอดมณี ) commented on the recent fractures at more than 100 locations on taxi-ways and runways at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Mr. Suwit said that the incident would greatly damage Thailand's image and that the fractures would need to be repaired promptly. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has addressed the general concerns of foreign travelers through various tourism authorities abroad. Mr. Suwit suggests that the problem may be alleviate by diverting some aviation traffic to Don Muang Airport.

Mr. Suwit also addressed standards and regulations to support funding by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to the private tourism sector. The Tourism Minister said that a funding request would need at least 3 months to process and would need to take into account the tourism activity being proposed to allow for maximum cost-benefit.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 27 January 2007

[Jai Dee]

Tourism and Sports Minister agrees with idea to transfer some flights to Don Muang Airport

The Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmanee, supports the idea to shift certain commercial flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok International Airport, or also known as Don Muang Airport.

The taxi-way and runway cracks in Suvarnabhumi Airport have affected the image of Thailand, adding that more than 100 cracks have been found on the airport's runway. Mr. Suwit said these problems have to be solved quickly, and the Tourism and Sports Ministry is currently explaining to the tourists of the situation via the Tourism Authority of Thailand offices in foreign countries worldwide. Thus, he also agrees with the plan to move certain flights to Don Muang Airport for the time being, as it would also help relieve the traffic congestion.

Concerning the funds' approvals for the private agencies to promote tourism in Thailand, Mr. Suwit said their proposals have to be submitted by at least three months.

The ministry will assess the tourism activities initially in order to ensure that the financial resources are being used efficiently.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 27 January 2007

[BigC]

ha ha, makes me laugh in stupid kind of way. the thai's can't even build roads to withstand lorries over in this part of thailand. i would hate to see a road to take jumbo jets and other aircrafts going over it all day and night.

this ain't the first time this has happened. i had to be diverted in mid air over samui airport to phuket becuase it was too dangous to land and we were running out of fuel.

afterwards you could see peoples finger prints in the arms rests

[Mai Krap]

And now this guy resurfaces,,,,,,,,,,,,

Scoop journalist vindicated

He stood by his story and paid for it with his job, but runway-cracks reporter remains philosophical about events

Just two weeks after new reports of runway cracks at the multibillion-baht Suvarnabhumi Airport hit the headlines, Sermsuk Kasitipradit feels increasingly like a man vindicated.

His telephone is ringing off the hook with calls from local and international reporters and old acquaintances give him nods of approval.

Sermsuk was right all along.

This coming Wednesday, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand has asked him to address members about problems at the airport and his ordeal of being sacked by the Bangkok Post two years ago for running an expose of the runway-construction crisis.

"The management of the Bangkok Post must be thinking hard about what will happen now," the 50-year-old former chief reporter at Thailand's oldest English-language newspaper said.

Sermsuk was dismissed on August 29, 2005 after writing an August 6 front-page story telling of cracking on the new airport's western runway.

Citing unnamed sources, he reported that US aviation experts hired by then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra recommended reconstruction to repair large cracks in the runway.

That was swiftly followed by indignation from Thaksin, who lashed out, calling the report "seriously damaging to the country".

The newspaper bowed to prime-ministerial pressure and agreed to retract the allegations and apologise. Its retraction stated that while there were small cracks on the shoulders of the runway, its source wrongly claimed experts believed the runway needed reconstruction.

The Post launched an internal investigation, and Sermsuk and colleague Chadin Thepaval, the news editor at the time, were found to have acted negligently in publishing the story.

Sermsuk refused to accept the finding and was fired.

He tried in vain to get his source to confirm his comments and go on the record. The source is a businessman whose brother is close to some in Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai. He has inside knowledge of goings on at Suvarnabhumi.

"After the story was printed Thaksin became upset and accused us of intentionally trying to undermine the government's credibility.

"My source disappeared. I knew something was wrong. It was a nightmare," Sermsuk recalls.

"The Bangkok Post chose to fire me. After 22 years [working for the paper] that's how I was treated."

Sermsuk insists he was a victim of political pressure, claiming his critical views of Thaksin expressed in his former "Inside Politics" opinion-editorial-page column had made him a marked man.

The airport story was a convenient excuse for the paper to boot him out, he claims.

The management came under intense pressure to get rid of him, and two editors were "transferred" in circumstances Sermsuk and critics believe to have been "politically motivated".

Sermsuk still considers Thaksin's record of news-media intimidation far worse than the present military government's.

"What [the junta] did was what juntas do. It's normal. It has tried to counter the power [of Thaksin]. It needs time to put its house in order. But if [censorship] affects the public interest then we must clash [with the junta]. Public interest must come first."

"A Time magazine reporter asked me why the Post did not defend me. I told him it was politics, that there were more things behind the move. I believe to this day that politics were behind my sacking," he says.

He adds the action tarnished the Post's reputation.

Sermsuk has taken the newspaper to the Labour Court for alleged unfair dismissal and is seeking compensation and reinstatement.

A ruling will not be delivered until at least July, and the reporter often suffers bouts of self doubt. But, he reminds himself, those who know him understand him.

There is still bitterness about the lack of responsibility assumed by then editor David Armstrong, now the newspaper's chief executive.

Sermsuk insists Armstrong was at the editorial meeting when the story was discussed. He claims Armstrong did not protest against running the article. But when the time came to shoulder responsibility, it was passed to him and Chadin.

"The owners of the paper lack journalistic courage, and that's why I have ended up like this," said Sermsuk, who for the past two months has been working as a news editor for Issara News Centre, which covers the separatist conflict in the deep South.

"I want to urge [Armstrong] to reconsider whether he should take any responsibility."

Sermsuk has no regrets about his story, because it was in the public interest. "I simply did my duty."

"The Bangkok Post may be startled by the news [about the cracks], but I hope Armstrong will give me a call. If he wants a reconciliation, my conditions include reinstating Chadin, now working for the United Nations.

"He still breaths journalism every day," Sermsuk said.

The Nation contacted Armstrong, but he declined comment.

"I'm happy with my work at the moment," Sermsuk said, adding his son studied at the prestigious Saint Gabriel's College close to his current workplace. Things are convenient.

And what about the airport?

"I have heard from my military sources that the situation is worse than is being reported.

"If corruption is behind it, then construction will have been shoddy. The worst-case scenario is that the airport may have to be shut down if fatal accidents are to be avoided."

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Story at The Nation

[Stekmer]

Why don't they just close the place and move all the flights back to good old Don Muang, and then do a proper repair of all the faults.

Absolutely agree !!

Even on casual inspection - the attention to detail in finishing off the structure is pathetic and a lasting monument to 'quick and cheap'.

I was hoping that this was only the case with non-vital, cosmetic elements of the airport.

Unfortunately it would now seem that the same attitude that lead to the creation of the new international benchmark for a rushed job and with corner cutting at every opportunity is complete with disregard for safety of those that use this facility.

A disaster waiting to happen.

Close it > use Don Muang > get it right > re-open.

[younghusband]

My first thought, based on just a few flights in and out, was that Suvarnabhumi was experiencing similar teething problems to the new airports in HK and KL when they were opened.Thereafter I began to understand that quite apart from the endemic corruption and runway issues there were also serious design problems.I suppose the priority now is to understand and fix any serious structural problems.Unbelievably, I understand test drilling to determine the deepness of the cracks and indeed what is causing the flaw has not even begun.

It's all very depressing.There's no doubt in my mind that Thaksin must take this squarely(!) on the chin because he had unambiguous responsibility for the project, except I suppose the physical situation which was decided long ago.Somehow it all seems to sum up Thailand's weaknesses - the pretentious name for a start, the attractive external appearence masking bad planning, corruption and technical imcompetence.In another thread there was a discussion of how Thailand might have benefited (or not) from colonial rule.My view was that on balance Thailand was better off without this but here is a prime example of where the culture might have been improved by such a historical experience, given that such a fiasco would be unthinkable in say Singapore, HK or Malaysia.

Here sadly all the problems of modern Thailand come shamefully together -- corruption,arrogance,greed,incompetence, vain gloriousness.Clearly this is Thaksin's doing and a golden opportunity for Surayud and his colleagues.They are blameless and have the power and opportunity to fix the problem.Good luck to them, sincerely.

[Jimjim]

It hit the international news today. What horrible press this is for Thailand. I really can't believe it, yet I can.

Bangkok Airport Officially Unsafe -- CNN

[Mid]

There is still bitterness about the lack of responsibility assumed by then editor David Armstrong, now the newspaper's chief executive.

time to man up mr d armstrong ( no captials for you )

got a set or not ???