US pays Bt8.8bn for new consulate in Chiang Mai

By THE NATION

 

 

US ambassador Michael George DeSombre, Consul General Sean K O'Neill and Chiang Mai governor Charoenrit Sanguansat jointly presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the new US Consulate General building in Chiang Mai on Friday.

 

 

The new US consulate will be located on the Super Highway (Chiang Mai-Lampang) road in Nongpakrang subdistrict and will replace the Cold War relic on Witchayanond Road by the Ping river, which was built in 1950.

 

It is the oldest operating foreign consulate in Chiang Mai and the sole US consular presence outside Bangkok.

 

“Seventy years ago the first consulate building was built in Chiang Mai, and we hope that the new building will stand at least 70 more years to represent the long standing relationship between US and Chiang Mai province,” said DeSombre.

 

 

Part of the consulate’s mission, said the US, was to target transnational crime in the North, including narcotics trafficking and trafficking in persons. “We also believe that the construction of new Consulate General building will help create more than 400 jobs for local people,” added the ambassador.

 

The new Consulate General building will be located on 16.5 rai of land under a construction budget of $284 million (Bt8.8 billion). Construction is expected to complete within 2023.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30395126

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-09-25

 

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The Thais could have built a high-speed rail line to China for less than that. No wonder the West is going broke. 

Do us Yanks now get Elite visas??? ????

"Consulate" ????

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

New OZ Embassy in Wireless Rd reportedly cost $110 million to build! Must be a big one!

52 minutes ago, steve187 said:

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

Appears we've got some space to offer. ????

38 minutes ago, Olmate said:

New OZ Embassy in Wireless Rd reportedly cost $110 million to build! Must be a big one!

It is--built like a fort....but the land cost in inner city BKK would account for most of that price......

 

13 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

It is--built like a fort....but the land cost in inner city BKK would account for most of that price......

 

Agreee but why 3 times the price for US in CM?

The air pollution filters alone cost a billion baht.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

“Seventy years ago the first consulate building was built in Chiang Mai, and we hope that the new building will stand at least 70 more years to represent the long standing relationship between US and Chiang Mai province,” said DeSombre.

They may be unaware of modern Thai build quality.

 

Imagine how much of the USA left behind onexploded ordinace garbage we could have cleared in the Lao PDR with this cash.

 

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

"Consulate" ????

Chiang Mai is certainly an ideal location to spy on the Chinese ????

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Part of the consulate’s mission, said the US, was to target transnational crime in the North, including narcotics trafficking and trafficking in persons.

Is this America's mission in Chiang Mai , I had it confused with other duties.

4 hours ago, ChakaKhan said:

Do us Yanks now get Elite visas??? ????

YES! We have invested the money, we deserve it.

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

Probably can't afford that. Whoops, sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

I hope the Brexit goes well for our friends.

4 hours ago, ChakaKhan said:

Do us Yanks now get Elite visas??? ????

You certainly get better visa treatment in Vietnam compared to those of us from countries that didn't try to carpet bomb them into the stone age just 40 years ago.

10 hours ago, Guderian said:

The Thais could have built a high-speed rail line to China for less than that. No wonder the West is going broke. 

1.8 billion for the consulate....7 billion for the CIA microwave surveillance equipment

US does not "pay" anything.

 

They simply move decimal points over on computers. 

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

Cringeworthy I know!

what the model does not show is the huge antenna farm on top of the building. 

all US Embassies and consulates have a gigantic basement full of radio interception equipment.

it would be interesting to see how large a hole they dig for the subterranean part of the building. 

 

years ago the US Embassy in Moscow:

 

"finally, at a cost of $240 million, the embassy was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt stone by stone. The top two floors were knocked off and replaced by four new secure floors. The stone and glass post- modern building was unofficially opened in May."

 

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/U-S-Finally-Opens-Moscow-Embassy-Building-was-2714015.php

24 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Agreee but why 3 times the price for US in CM?

40% Import Tax then you got the skimming off the top by the Thai leaders " Transnational North "  a modern network to spy on China?????

Not sure why they need it, Americans aren't all that welcome with the infection rate back home.

2 hours ago, steve187 said:

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

Really? 

 

You mean UK embassy doesn't have its own building? Most other embassies in Bangkok has its own building as far as I know.

That's a lot of Sheckles

Where is this new US embassy located? Is it near the Thai immigration inside the shopping mall (forgot what its name)

18 hours ago, webfact said:

 

8.8bn baht... no wonder the BiB is there every step of the way.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

Chiang Mai is certainly an ideal location to spy on the Chinese ????

keep a check on the shrimp in the seafood buffets? 

one of the parts that adds costs to theses kind of structures is all the various rules and regulations regarding security of these kinds of facilities.. the DoS’ OBO has all kinds of regulations that must be added to any build awards - which invariably add to costs above what a more traditional “civilian” structures might have.

42 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Really? 

 

You mean UK embassy doesn't have its own building? Most other embassies in Bangkok has its own building as far as I know.

sold the land/building to central group for a record high price, who have demolished the buildings, new UK 'Embassy' in now in an office building on salthon road.