Thai Pm Orders Speed Up Of New Airport

[george]

Thai PM orders speed up of new airport

Thailand is hoping the new airport will become the centre for aviation in Asia.

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ordered construction of Bangkok's new international airport to be accelerated after finding it may not be completed before its planned September 2005 opening.

The government said a year ago that construction of Suvarnabhumi airport was about four months behind schedule, and assigned a committee to come up with a plan to overcome the delays.

But after touring the site of the $2.9 billion airport, about 15 miles east of the capital, Thaksin said on Monday the construction is still behind schedule.

"This is not good, and the construction must be accelerated, as there are only 14 months left before the new airport is scheduled to be officially opened," he was quoted as saying by the state Thai News Agency.

Thaksin said he would seek an explanation for the delays at next week's scheduled board meeting of the airport's operator, the New Bangkok International Airport Co., Ltd., the report said.

Last month, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said if the joint venture responsible for construction fails to complete its task by June 2005 as planned, it will be fined $121,000 for each day it falls behind.

He added that the contractors responsible "will also be blacklisted by the government and be prohibited from bidding in future government projects if they fail to deliver the work on schedule."

-- AP 2004-08-03

[astral]

More haste less speed.

wse don't want it falling down like the Charles de Gaulle terminal.

[davethailand]

why is that?

so he can park his proposed private jet there.

time for him to come back down to earth and look at the needs of his country, not himself.

(airport is a good thing though, not much good unless he encourages tourism).

[ovenman]

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ordered construction of Bangkok's new international airport to be accelerated after finding it may not be completed before its planned September 2005 opening.

What's the rush? What's another few months? This project has only been in-the-works since circa 1960 (that's neither joke nor typo).

[mickmac]

Ah Thaksin.....Thailands own Harry Potter.

One swoosh of his arm and hey presto.. The drug war is won.

Swoosh, the arm swings back again... miraculously the political unrest in the south is cleaned up.

Swoosh again ... and you will have the airport ready by September ....

Hey Harry, someone forgot to tell you that your wand is broken........

Come back King Canoute all is forgiven.

[Darlek]

yes they can take their time and open late as possible.

even if it is open soon there is still a massive amount of infrastructure and people /company moving . that wont be easy .

[george]

PM orders building of third runway at new Bangkok airport

BANGKOK: – Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today that he had ordered the building of the third runway at the Second Bangkok International Airport, or the Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is now under construction.

He said he was confident that a large number of tourists would visit the country in the future, and the two planned runways would not be sufficient.

Mr. Thaksin said during his weekly radio program, "Premier Thaksin talks with the public", broadcast nationwide this morning, that he made the instruction during a meeting of a committee administering and developing the Suvarnabhumi Airport, held here earlier this week.

The Thai leader disclosed that he also instructed construction workers to speed up their works, as

some parts of the works are now behind schedule.

He said the delay caused by some construction firms had affected national development,

and since the new airport is important for the country, the delay would also affect attempts to develop Thailand as an aviation hub in the region.

"Delay in the construction works by more than 7-8% at the new airport will prevent these firms from not undertaking other government's works",

he cautioned.

"There are only 14 months left for the construction to be complete on scheduled. So, concerned officials must speed up the work, and the government will keep a close watch on it", he added.

-- TNA 2004-08-07