Five Tourism Mega-projects Tabled

[Tony Clifton]

I would advise the Government to take a look at Pattaya, Chewang Beach, Patong Beach area.

Is this what they really want to happen to all the potential tourism sites?

Don't leave out Bang Saen beach, it has enough plastic floating around at once to easily fill a ten wheel truck.

Somehow these people think that tourist destinations require an initial investment but no maintenance afterwards.

[ovenman]

Somehow these people think that tourist destinations require an initial investment but no maintenance afterwards.

That philosophy seems to apply across-the-board, not merely to tourist sites.

[PadThaiGuy]

I would advise the Government to take a look at Pattaya, Chewang Beach, Patong Beach area.

Is this what they really want to happen to all the potential tourism sites?

Don't leave out Bang Saen beach, it has enough plastic floating around at once to easily fill a ten wheel truck.

Somehow these people think that tourist destinations require an initial investment but no maintenance afterwards.

I agree.

Bang Saen is a "Thai" Beach and gets super trashed every weekend.

1000% worse than any beach frequented by Farangs. Garbage everywhere.

[Plus]

Again, it's up to Johpa to clarify who he meant by elites that have been screwing Western tourists for a while now. And are they really all from Bangkok.

I did not mean, and I am not sure how you inferred from my original post that I was implying that the elites were screwing western tourists.

Only in a sense they have been less welcomed in favour of Chinese.

The elite are the people who control the money, mostly now Thai-Chinese (e.g. Sophonpanich family)..

Ahh, but people who control the money are not fully responsible for actions of people who borrow/use that money. Another problem is that these banking families have been severely hit by 1997 crisis and have been sidelined under Thaksin - he encouraged businesses to raise funds on the stock exchange instead, or issue bonds, or use government run schemes like SML.

"Old money" is generally pro-Democrat and anti-Thaksin, when they speak up they sound a lot more concerned about the country's future than Thaksin ever had. It's not fair to hold them solely responsible for what has happened in at least past six years, let alone for the latest brain farts.

I have no idea how "sakdina" families come into this either. I suppose you could say they control country's civil service, but, again, they were sidelined under Thaksin. All decision making has been centralised and bureaucrats have been stripped of their powers. After all it was a major part of Thaksin's reform - to restructure the bureaucracy, bring it firmly under politicians control.

It all sounded nice ten years ago, unfortunately the "new power" looks a lot worse than the old one, it's far more corrupt and arrogant, and it looks only for short term personal political benefits because ministers don't stay long in their posts and so are not concerned with long term effects of their policies, only if they can use them as bargaining chips for better cabinet positions.

[Johpa]

Again, it's up to Johpa to clarify who he meant by elites that have been screwing Western tourists for a while now. And are they really all from Bangkok.

I did not mean, and I am not sure how you inferred from my original post that I was implying that the elites were screwing western tourists.

The elite are the people who control the money, mostly now Thai-Chinese (e.g. Sophonpanich family)..

Ahh, but people who control the money are not fully responsible for actions of people who borrow/use that money. Another problem is that these banking families have been severely hit by 1997 crisis and have been sidelined under Thaksin - he encouraged businesses to raise funds on the stock exchange instead, or issue bonds, or use government run schemes like SML.

"Old money" is generally pro-Democrat and anti-Thaksin, when they speak up they sound a lot more concerned about the country's future than Thaksin ever had. It's not fair to hold them solely responsible for what has happened in at least past six years, let alone for the latest brain farts.

I have no idea how "sakdina" families come into this either. I suppose you could say they control country's civil service, but, again, they were sidelined under Thaksin. All decision making has been centralised and bureaucrats have been stripped of their powers. After all it was a major part of Thaksin's reform - to restructure the bureaucracy, bring it firmly under politicians control.

It all sounded nice ten years ago, unfortunately the "new power" looks a lot worse than the old one, it's far more corrupt and arrogant, and it looks only for short term personal political benefits because ministers don't stay long in their posts and so are not concerned with long term effects of their policies, only if they can use them as bargaining chips for better cabinet positions.

Well in my previous post I (#29) we come to the same conclusion that the newer power interests like Thaksin are in a battle with the older elites. But I disagree that the older elites are out of the picture or have been sidelined at all, especially the high Sakdina families, and their supporters, who were behind the last coup. It is not that they control the civil service, although many take positions high up in the civil service or within the major universities, but that they still control sizable amounts of the wealth, alongside the older Sino-Thai families.

Whether the new money folks are any less corrupt than the old money folks is a matter of degree. They clearly do not share the wealth in the same manner. As I have stated since the coup, my opinion is that Thaksin's temporary downfall was the result of his failing to share in the spoils sufficiently, to, in effect, render unto Ceasar. So yes, you could say that the "new power" (new money) sees things more in line with that great modern Patpong (another old school family by the way) concept of "short time" than does the old money which prefers the longer term mia noi relationship.

[sriracha john]

Five tourism mega-projects tabled

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism and Sports Ministry yesterday outlined five mega-projects that are expected to cost 3 Billion Baht.

Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said he would soon propose the plan to the Cabinet for approval. Weerasak gave an outline of the projects to ministry officials yesterday.

The third is the "Thailand Riviera" project, which was initially proposed some years ago. It aims to build new tourism magnets along the Gulf of Thailand. This project will require 260 Million Baht this year and 500 Million Baht in the next two years.

Apart from the mega-projects, Weerasak said the National Budget Bureau had approved an additional 3.4 Billion Baht budget for marketing activities this year. The agency had been allocated 4.9 Billion Baht this year, but has already spent 2.7 Billion Baht.

In keeping with the Thailand-Is-The-Same-As-France-Only-Cheaper theme.....

Finance minister pledges action on tourism stimulus plan

BANGKOK, April 21 (TNA) – Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee on Monday pledged to go ahead with a plan to stimulate tourism, hoping it could produce concrete results within four to six months.

Surapong said the government would give additional support to tourism promotion because it viewed the industry development would help create incomes for people in many segments.

Under the tourism promotion plan, the government is set to develop key tourist sites along the Chao Phya River, increase the number of landings and shopping spots in the next four to six months.

More importantly, it would develop Ratchadamnern Avenue as a tourist attraction like France's Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris.

[Tony Clifton]

Weren't many of these projects stopped a few years ago for encroachment and other land grabbing schemes along the coast?

[sriracha john]

With Thaksin's government running the show again, it's time to get back to serious corruption...

Government to revive city 'Champs Elysee' project

Ratchadamnoen to get 7 Billion Baht 'cultural' revamp

The government has decided to revive the ''Ratchadamnoen-Champs Elysee'' plan under a Seven-Billion-Baht scheme to overhaul the landmark avenue in the inner Rattanakosin area. A government source said the cabinet yesterday approved the establishment of a public organisation to oversee the scheme which was first launched in 2001 by former PM Thaksin Shinawatra before being buried after the coup in September 2006. The initial budget was 13 Billion Baht. The original scheme aimed to build facilities such as an underground walkway around Democracy Monument and public park and re-landscape buildings and footpaths on the road. Buildings and street furniture will be upgraded to be on a par with those of the Champs Elysee in Paris. However, the project worries some architects. "The project returns with the comeback of Thaksin,'' said Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a lecturer on architecture at Thammasat University. He is a member of the Conservation Committee of the Crown Property Bureau, landlord of the area around the avenue. The lecturer believed the decision of the government to create a public organisation is to speed up the scheme, and a possible next step is for the government to issue a decree which will designate the area as a ''special economic zone'' _ similar to the controversial Night Safari and Koh Chang, which would open the doors for a special administration to run the area. Chatri Prakitnonthakan, lecturer on architecture at Silpakorn University, said the way government has kicked off the project is undemocratic. "I do not reject business and tourism, but this area has multi-layer land use, cultural importance and old community settlements and all stakeholders should be given the right to have a say how they think this area should be developed," he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Apr2008_news03.php