Angry Residents Threaten To Fire Homemade Rockets To Disrupt Flights

[george]

Angry residents threaten to fire homemade rockets to disrupt flights on Feb 23

SUVARNABHUMI: -- Angry residents around the Suvarnabhumi International Airport Saturday threatened to disrupt the flights to and from the airport by firing homemade rockets and releasing balloons on February 23.

Somchart Manathamsombat, a leader of the residents, said the people affected by noise pollution at the airport would give the government until February 23 to solve their problems or they would launch the bung fai or Isaan homemade rockets and balloons to disrupt the flights.

Somchart and some 100 representatives of the residents of housing estates around the airport held a press conference to demand the new government to ask the Airports of Thailand Plc to speed up paying affected people compensations.

Somchart said none of the people had received compensations so far.

-- The Nation 2008-02-16

[soundman]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

[bkkdawg]

Totally aggree,

Why dont they just do the same as the Heathrow residents and get the government to put double glazing in their houses??? Just another CASH GRAB totally aggree. Any excuse not to go and earn some money.....

[Mosha]

I actually think the EGLL residents should have been told to bugger off. That airport was initially almost in the middle of nowhere

[egg6447]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

[Maigo6]

Totally aggree,

Why dont they just do the same as the Heathrow residents and get the government to put double glazing in their houses??? Just another CASH GRAB totally aggree. Any excuse not to go and earn some money.....

Unbelievable.....

Edited February 16, 2008 by Maigo6

[happy_viking]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

well said it saddens me to read people slagging off Thailand all the time. If you dont like the country and its ways sod off as at the end of the day we are guests in the country

[george]

Update:

Airport-area residents threaten flight disruptions next Saturday

BANGKOK: -- Charging the state-run Airports of Thailand Pcl (AoT) with reneging on its widely publicised promise to compensate noise pollution-impacted residents living in the vicinity and near the flight paths of Suvarnabhumi international airport the residents Saturday said they would release home-made rockets and balloons to disrupt flights one week from today on the coming Saturday.

Led by Somchart Manathamsombat some 100 residents living near the airport gathered for a press conference urging the new government under Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to order the AoT to honour the promise it gave to affected residents November 9.

They charged that the AoT on that day signed a formal agreement to buy homes from owners who had been suffering aircraft noise of above 70 decibels.

Until now, no parties have received the compensation, they said.

Frustrated by the delay, the angry residents said they would release home-made rockets, known as "bung fai" in the Isaan northeastern dialect, as well as balloons, into the sky to disrupt flights arriving and taking off at the airport.

While acknowledging that the country's image would be negatively affected if their threatened action is actually taken, the residents said they had no choice but to proceed with the plan because the AoT was not sincere about solving their problem.

--TNA 2008-02-16

[DerringDo]

Do you mean some of the poor people can actually afford glass for their windows? What about tearing down their wooden houses and throwing them in the poor house too? Afterall shouldn't they have done a property search and believed the government.

Perhaps the government should actually do what they said and pay up. Show some sympathy for people who are constantly lied to.

However I don't condone the threats to put people's lives at risk. If anything happens then they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[Florin]

So they figure potentially killing hundreds with their party poppers and balloons is just reward for not getting money...the government should just pay them the (surely not too high) amount needed and bulldoze the houses.

[deminister]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

YES IT IS CLOSE TO 50 YEARS!. And if someone has to pay it must be the military government who promised compensation. it should be no problem to take it out of their budget. And maybe it is an idea than to give the people near Don Muang also compensation, after all that airport should have been closed...

[soundman]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

The history of the Suvarnabhumi dates back almost half a century to the year 1960 beginning with the commissioning of a study of bangkok land use planning by the thai Government. it was concluded that a new international airport should be constructed to replace the don Muang international north of the city, so that the new airport would be separated from the city and the military airfield. study recommended a new airport site in a swampland in Samut Prakarn, 25 km east of bangkok.

during 1963-1973, around 32 sq km of land was appropri­ated and set aside for the new airport. However, it would take almost another 20 years and several government administrations later before the government approved the construction of the new airport in 1991, after it was forecast that the Muang would reach its full capacity in the year 2000.

Link here.

Hmmmmmm.

Edit to fix formatting from cut & paste.

Edited February 16, 2008 by soundman

[Jandajoy]

Should I seek compensation from the airline or the Thai Gov if I'm in a plane hit by a balloon or rocket?

[SamsSauce1949]

Well, compensation has been promised and it should be delivered to those affected. If this was the UK, EU or the US, residents would be up in arms, organised a far more vocal and sophisticated manner than the Thais are, and demanding double glazing and compensation. Does this discussion smell of hypocrisy, since if those here moaning about Thais being eligible to compensation, would in their home countries, be fighting for much higher levels of compensation than these residents are entitled to.

It does seem that big companies in Thailand, seem to be able to get away with putting profits before dealing with their social and moral responsibilities.

[soundman]

^^^And the best way to achieve "perceived" compesation is through extortion?

[IMA_FARANG]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

Oh really. My Thai family lives in a house about 1Km from one of the runways of the old Don Mueng airport. It used to be pretty noisey, depending on which direction the planes were landing/taking off. They flew directly over the Moo Banh either on take-off or landing. Now that the new airport is being used for international flights it is much quieter.

Another point....not for you but for another person who made a comment about "any reason not to look or find a job"..... but have you ever really talked to a poor Thai who wants to work but finds he/she can't get a job? Not to be picky about it but let me educate you with the story of the experience of my brother-in-law. He left the Thai army after doing his national service. He had a wife and a 2 year old child then. He managed to find a job in a Bangkok hotel food court clearing tables. He thought it was a good job. It turned out that in order to keep the job, he was required to give 1000 baht a month to the supervisor of the food workers. Since he was earning only 2500 baht a month (not counting tips which were devided equally among the 5 or 6 workers) he couldn't afford to keep that job and feed his family at the same time. He moved out of Bangkok and moved upcountry because it was cheaper to live. He found a job upcountry carrying goods on his back loading and unloading trucks.

I wonder if the person who made that comment really knows like it is like to live in Thailand as a poor Thai? Maybe that person ought to get out of the bars and massage parlors, and see what it is really like for one of the thousands...no millions...of ordinary Thais.

Not that I'm criticising, you understand.

[BigSnake]

Power that be listen to the people. There are some NUTS out there that might just give it a try. SAD I like most have friends and family flying in and out of there. don't give some a reason to fire at a plane, many life could be lost.

[mitrapaap]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

Have you ever realized how many living estates are built directly aside 4 and 8 line motorways? They don't give a shit for living standard and/or quality. I have a house at Lamlukka and by simply taking a map I new that I will likely be in the approach channel of the new airport. I also could figure out that the planes will still be at an altitude that should make the sound being acceptable. I bought the house and I can hear a very few planes approaching the airport. Exactly as expected. Thinking ahead of things is not the national strengths. Of course, some people lived there for generations. And how many generations have the people around Don Muang had to accept the noise from the airport. And now they have it again. It is just a money making. Once they have the money, they won't install double glasses, they won't move out, they are more likely to buy a new car.

[thaikahuna]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

While I doubt that they just moved in, I would bet money that they did move in after the location of the new airport was announced. IT is more than likely a cash grab and if any rocket or balloon launched from the area causes a problem for any flight they should be held accountable. I however doubt that accountability is a nonexistent word in the Thai lexicon.

[kevc]

Totally aggree,

Why dont they just do the same as the Heathrow residents and get the government to put double glazing in their houses??? Just another CASH GRAB totally aggree. Any excuse not to go and earn some money.....

Whats good double glazing going to do with wooden walls..........been here long?.

[soundman]

Oh really. My Thai family lives in a house about 1Km from one of the runways of the old Don Mueng airport. It used to be pretty noisey, depending on which direction the planes were landing/taking off. They flew directly over the Moo Banh either on take-off or landing. Now that the new airport is being used for international flights it is much quieter.

What has this got to do with the current bunch of people trying to cash in on a problem they were aware off before they moved into the neighbourhood?

BTW - I have a house directly under the Southern flight path from Dorn Meuang - do or did I try and get compensation from the five minute interval take offs? Nope.

Another point....not for you but for another person who made a comment about "any reason not to look or find a job"..... but have you ever really talked to a poor Thai who wants to work but finds he/she can't get a job? Not to be picky about it but let me educate you with the story of the experience of my brother-in-law. He left the Thai army after doing his national service. He had a wife and a 2 year old child then. He managed to find a job in a Bangkok hotel food court clearing tables. He thought it was a good job. It turned out that in order to keep the job, he was required to give 1000 baht a month to the supervisor of the food workers. Since he was earning only 2500 baht a month (not counting tips which were devided equally among the 5 or 6 workers) he couldn't afford to keep that job and feed his family at the same time. He moved out of Bangkok and moved upcountry because it was cheaper to live. He found a job upcountry carrying goods on his back loading and unloading trucks.

I wonder if the person who made that comment really knows like it is like to live in Thailand as a poor Thai? Maybe that person ought to get out of the bars and massage parlors, and see what it is really like for one of the thousands...no millions...of ordinary Thais.

Not that I'm criticising, you understand.

Not defending the quote you were refering to, however... There are many Thai's who end up filling the menial positions soceity has to offer because they are responsible enough to try and make a go of the hand of cards they have ended up with when reaching employable age. Merit badges should be awarded. But....

I am an employer of Thai people - do farang's observing Thailand actually have any idea how hard it is to get decent, competant staff, even when offering double award wages? Near impossible. Going on my business records for the past year - about a one in ten hit miss ratio.

however, (and off topic - sorry )

there is a fair percentage of youths in this country who could not care less about finding a job & will use whatever comes across their paths to finance the day to day lay-about activities and drinking sessions which seem to make up their existance.

Getting back to OP.

Whilst launching balloons & rockets is hardly going to endager a 747 more than a flying penguin - it is still an attempt to extort money from a known, pre-existing problem that the money grabbers think they can win by putting the political powers that be in the limelight.

Soundman.

[Murgatroyd]

I would imagine that any local resident actually firing a rocket at a jet airliner would get arrested on the spot... as this would qualify as a terrorist act, and have an extremely negative impact on Thailands tourist industry... the airport would have to cancel all flights until the matter had been resolved.

However justified the local residents grievencies were, this could cost hundreds of lives.

Fortunately actually hitting a plane with a homemade rocket would be very difficult, unless they were launching a whole barrage of rockets simultaniously. Even then, unless the rocket in question actually got sucked into one of the engines, or was made of metal, it would be unlikely that it would bring the aircraft down.

I used to be very involved with model rocketry, and was the UK team coach when the team went out to Florida for the world space modelling championships in 1992.

Murg

[george]

Several off-topic posts and personal insults removed, please keep on topic.

Thanks

[anon467367354]

like it was said earlier, these are not shanties on the end of some runway, these are homes that bring in tax dollars, different from the from the shanty towns set up along construction sites that are being occupied by the less than 187baht/day Burmese illegal immigrant workers. While the government is busy ridding the kingdom of those that can make difference with the below standard Thai education system, or while those that can be educating the Thai are learning about the different parts of a Thai musical instruments, not that the Thai could point out a tuning key or a bridge, nut etc on a guitar. Somehow the Thai government is still to busy to deal with what it takes to improve the Thai peoples lives. Maybe they should look at it from the viewpoint that these are the King's people and out of respect deal with the issue in a manner worthy of respect from the His Majesty. For all of those government employees that have illegal Burmese "help", think of it as disrespect for his majesty and the penalty should appropriately be dismissal from the position currently held. Hire a Thai national first! All of us that live in the Kingdom know that the Thai tolerate a lot when it comes to one making money. Loud speakers on trucks driving through neighborhoods, song taos beeping horns at 5:50 AM as they drive around, numerous sounds from vendors, ice cream trucks. recyclers, etc. The airport is different,. yes it like all the others causes lack of sleep to you and your babies, not being able to hear the tv, but the noise level is causing physical damage to the structures themselves as well as the body physical, psychological and emotional disorders that go along with an enormous amount of stress. Compensate the Kings subjects accordingly, it shouldn't be such a big deal. Mai bpen rai chai mai ka.

[tiger50]

bulldoze all of the houses down, and redevelope with more go-go bars and massage parlours

[Tony Clifton]

bulldoze all of the houses down, and redevelope with more go-go bars and massage parlours

Been there, done that!

[tiger50]

bulldoze all of the houses down, and redevelope with more go-go bars and massage parlours

Been there, done that!

great love it....sense of humour!

[john b good]

This airport has been in the planning stages for more than fifty years before completion. Most, if not all these complaining residents would have been aware that an airport was to be situated on this land before they moved in.

Cash grab, pure and simple.

oh dear soundman, 50yrs, i dont think so. also you should know these local residents have, more than likely,have been there for generations, just moved in?? i dont think so. give the poor sods a break.

Generations you gotta be kidding. Where have you been. This airport has been on the drawing board for 40 years. And 40 years ago it was still a swamp.

The vast majority of the residents bought in in the last 20 or so years and the airport was being discussed yonks before that.

Cash grab pure and simple TIT

[toret]

Whilst launching balloons & rockets is hardly going to endager a 747 more than a flying penguin - it is still an attempt to extort money from a known, pre-existing problem that the money grabbers think they can win by putting the political powers that be in the limelight.

Money grabbing? I thought these people were already promised a compensation, but for some reason that has not materialized yet.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[mickj88]

3 weeks ago I stayed at a hotel resort right at the end of the airport and the only time I heard anything was while outside and even then it was only for a few seconds as the planes took off.Unfortunatly the restaraunt was outside so this meant during meals and breakfast, but still wasn't overly loud.

I do think though that if compensation was promised then it should have been payed by now, I would imagine the excuse for not paying it so far is down to the fact that the first elected government since Thaksin has only just come into power.