Bangkok road closures for APEC leaders’ motorcade protection drills

[snoop1130]

 

Numerous roads in Bangkok will be closed late afternoon today (Thursday) and tomorrow as the Metropolitan Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conduct a second drill for APEC leaders’ motorcade police escorts, in preparation for the APEC Summit in Bangkok next week.

 

Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul said that the closures are necessary and the public are advised to avoid the affected roads during the drill periods, from 4.30pm to 8pm today and from 9pm tonight to 3am tomorrow morning.

 

The roads which will be closed this afternoon are:

 

• Phitsanuloke Road, from Suan Misakawan to Sisao Thewet intersection
• Ratchadamnoen Road
• Na Phra Lan Road
• Na Phra That Road
• Maharat Road, from Tha Chang Intersection to Tha Tian Intersection
• Thai Wang Road
• Sanam Chai Road
• Phra Pinklao Bridge

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkok-road-closures-for-apec-leaders-motorcade-protection-drills/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-11-10

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[Sydebolle]

The IMF congress of October 1991 springs to mind. I had the pleasure of accompanying an European finance minister during his stay in Bangkok and, like now, they closed Bangkok and declared "public holidays"; reason given was, so school children could share the pleasure of the IMF congress as well. 

I picked-up the minister at his hotel and accompanied him to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) which was put into place in only nine months. The Ratchadapisek road from QSNCC to Sukhumvit road got a concrete wall which got painted by school children - to hide the slums behind those walls. 

The minister and I got chauffeur-driven with police escort and managed to race against (usual) oneway roads, no red lights and completely empty streets (except other ministers and officials shuttling between their hotels/offices and the QSNCC. The visiting dignitary asked me in the car, why there was all that bad mouthing about Bangkok's traffic; as far as he could see, there is no traffic and better than in any other European capital. 

Well, little he know on how roads are emptied very professionally and the entire "holiday break" for the enjoyment of school children was paid for by the private industry. In other words, no link to reality of day-to-day mess in Bangkok. 

30+ years later, the same formula is applied again to ensure those ever so important dignitaries are not being disturbed in being playing important again - and again - at the account of the private industry. The Bangkokians though will be fleeing the capital for enjoying traffic jams in Pattaya over the next week's mother-of-all-conferences, irrespective of the absence of Biden and Putin ????

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Numerous roads in Bangkok will be closed late afternoon today (Thursday) and tomorrow as the Metropolitan Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conduct a second drill for APEC leaders’ motorcade police escorts, in preparation for the APEC Summit in Bangkok next week

Confusion reigns...