Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has proposed shutting Bangkok Port and redeveloping the Khlong Toei waterfront into a casino-free entertainment complex. The proposal follows his inspection of the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), where he issued operational guidelines to the state enterprise. No timetable for closing the port or beginning redevelopment has been announced. Port traffic and duplicate facilities Phiphat said Thailand should not continue operating two major cargo ports, Bangkok Port and Laem Chabang Port, as doing so uses unnecessary public money, staff and management resources. He also pointed to the practical difficulty of running a major cargo port in the capital. Port-related lorries must travel into central Bangkok, adding to traffic problems, while large cargo ships are increasingly unlikely to use Bangkok Port. Phiphat said that if port operations could be moved, the entire site should be redeveloped for the greatest possible public benefit. Part would be set aside for existing communities, with the remaining land developed commercially. Homes planned for Khlong Toei residents The Transport Ministry and PAT will consult people living in Khlong Toei communities who may be affected by the project. Under the preliminary proposal, 20% of the 2,353-rai site, equivalent to about 376.5 hectares, would be used for housing and facilities for local residents. "The Bangkok Port development plan must provide new housing for more than 40,000 people, or about 12,600 households, together with comprehensive facilities, including residential buildings, public parks, playgrounds, schools, childcare centres and a community hospital, to improve the quality of life of people in the area," Phiphat said. Earlier plan included cruise terminal PAT had previously examined redevelopment of the full 2,353-rai Bangkok Port site. Its latest cited study, completed in 2019, proposed a masterplan worth more than 100 billion baht. That plan divided the land into five areas. It included a new PAT headquarters, leased office buildings, housing, a medical hub, Smart Community and welfare housing, rental homes and retail development. Other elements were a semi-automated Smart Port, eastern container terminal and coastal cargo terminal; a cruise terminal, hotel, duty-free retail, exhibition and training centres; warehouses, e-commerce offices and lorry parking; plus a sports complex and public park. The cruise-terminal element could be of interest to overseas visitors and Bangkok-based expats, but it formed part of the earlier study rather than the newly proposed casino-free entertainment complex. Picture courtesy of The Nation Join the discussion? 26 July 2026
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