Hill Tunnel Advocates Sweep To Power In Patong Poll

[alanmorison]

CONTROL of Patong's decision-making local tessaban council now rests with Pian Keesin and the Rak Patong party after Sunday's poll, and that means the advocates of the Patong Hill underpass are in charge.

The re-elected mayor used a car emerging from the underpass as his main campaign image.

However, Khun Pian, leader of the Rak Patong (Love Patong) party, feels obliged to wait until the official results are declared in seven days before making any comments.

He has seen election results overturned and run-offs held again in the past.

But Khun Pian did say in his final speech before his weekend victory: ''The sky belongs to the birds, but the mayorship of Patong belongs to Pian.''

Provided the election result becomes official, when it comes to the tunnel under Patong Hill and perhaps other proposed innovations, Khun Pian no longer faces an uphill battle all the way.

Plans for a two-billion baht underpass through Patong Hill suffered a major setback in May when the tessaban rejected the budget for a feasibility study.

The then head of the tessaban board, Raksak Nuset, said the underpass study was too expensive. A new feasibility study would have cost 39,680,000 baht.

Khun Raksak said the project appeared to have taken on a life of its own, without local people being consulted first. Khun Raksak did not contest the election, and Khun Pian's party now has the numbers.

--Full report at phuketwan.com