When Bangkok Sinks Into The Sea, Where Shall The New Thai Capital Be?

[Jingthing]

If when Bangkok goes into the drink, Thailand will need a new location for the new capital.

Where shall it be, and why?

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/thailan...ngkok-sinking-1

[upinthesky]

Are you serious? Will you live to see the sinking of Bangkok?

[Jingthing]

Are you serious? Will you live to see the sinking of Bangkok?

Of course I am serious. Read the article.

[garyh]

Why does it have to move? It will be the true Venus of the East.

[Meridian007]

I don't think that the movers and shakers here will allow their property investments to sink. Retaining walls and drainage systems will be used to keep Bangkok the same as it is now.

That being said, I think the capital should be moved, to somewhere that hasn't been developed at all, so that an organized city plan can be created for the capital that makes sense instead of this over-populated, chaotic city.

Look at what Malaysia did. They moved the capital from Kuala Lumpur to Putra Jaya. Putra Jaya is a beautiful, well-organized city, with a logical system of realty development and transportation systems. It is just as easy to get to as the airport from KL (actually, it's easier), and it gave them a chance to plan the city out.

Maybe somewhere like Ratchaburi? It's close, has a higher elevation, and is relatively undeveloped. If Thailand wanted to really secure themselves as a country that is moving towards being an "Asian tiger" again, this is one of the things that would help.

[LennyW]

Suphan Buri, great infrastructure in place already, the heart of Thailands rice industry, good people, actually i hope they dont relocate the capital to there it would spoil a great place!

[MJP]

Surely it has to be Pattaya! Oh no, I guess that'll be underwater too.

[krading]

Back to Ayuthaya, bulldoze all that old 'rubble' and start again from scratch.

(Due to a minor technical problem I am unable to insert the appropriate emoticons at the present time.)

[bdenner]

It'll never happen cause some highly educated, smart arsed Thai Engineer said so here! Why the pole?

Edited January 11, 2010 by bdenner

[bendejo]

Phnom Phen

[Jingthing]

Surely it has to be Pattaya! Oh no, I guess that'll be underwater too.

Or will it? Check out the video in the article and you will see the very specific conditions that impact on Bangkok. Particularly the very soft clay soil (used to be a canal city before they topped with cement), the massive river, the draining of the underground fresh water, the concentration of skyscrapers. Kind of a perfect storm, if you will. I don't know if the factors in Pattaya will make it sink like Bangkok. Does anyone know the soil characteristics of Pattaya? I considered voting Pattaya as a joke vote, but decided on Ayathuya as a more realistic choice.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Jingthing

[bkkjames]

JT before you run off on your daily polling initiative, take a look first in the newsclipping to see if the topic has (like this one) been covered already.

[Jingthing]

JT before you run off on your daily polling initiative, take a look first in the newsclipping to see if the topic has (like this one) been covered already.

Is there another poll on this topic, my dear?

[bkkjames]

JT before you run off on your daily polling initiative, take a look first in the newsclipping to see if the topic has (like this one) been covered already.

Is there another poll on this topic, my dear?

No Poll JT because someone had the foresight to realize polling a bunch of farangs about where the Thai capital should be if the city is underwater makes about as much sense as asking a bunch of Thais where the US capital should move to in the event that it floods.

But carry on mate. Be sure to submit your findings to the Thai Gov't once you are done.

[DP25]

If they have to spend billions on dikes to keep flood waters out they will. The city is simply too valuable and too much has been built.

[Jingthing]

JT before you run off on your daily polling initiative, take a look first in the newsclipping to see if the topic has (like this one) been covered already.

Is there another poll on this topic, my dear?

No Poll JT because someone had the foresight to realize polling a bunch of farangs about where the Thai capital should be if the city is underwater makes about as much sense as asking a bunch of Thais where the US capital should move to in the event that it floods.

But carry on mate. Be sure to submit your findings to the Thai Gov't once you are done.

This is a forum mainly for non-Thai expats in Thailand. We talk about things Thai here. For discussion purposes. This is a Thai thing.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Jingthing

[garyh]

JT before you run off on your daily polling initiative, take a look first in the newsclipping to see if the topic has (like this one) been covered already.

Is there another poll on this topic, my dear?

No Poll JT because someone had the foresight to realize polling a bunch of farangs about where the Thai capital should be if the city is underwater makes about as much sense as asking a bunch of Thais where the US capital should move to in the event that it floods.

But carry on mate. Be sure to submit your findings to the Thai Gov't once you are done.

Some must have got sick of twiddling there thumbs and invented irrelevant polls. (sounds a bit like a monty python script)

[MJP]

Surely it has to be Pattaya! Oh no, I guess that'll be underwater too.

Or will it? Check out the video in the article and you will see the very specific conditions that impact on Bangkok. Particularly the very soft clay soil (used to be a canal city before they topped with cement), the massive river, the draining of the underground fresh water, the concentration of skyscrapers. Kind of a perfect storm, if you will. I don't know if the factors in Pattaya will make it sink like Bangkok. Does anyone know the soil characteristics of Pattaya? I considered voting Pattaya as a joke vote, but decided on Ayathuya as a more realistic choice.

I would imagine a few dewatering firms will do very well in BKK over the next . . .

Not that easy to dewater fine grained soils (clays and fine silts) using abstraction wells, been in this situation a few times. But it would be cheaper I guess to engineer flood protection than move a capital, which is what is likely to happen. I'll watch the video. Thanks.

Sorry I did vote for Pattaya as a joke.

[Jingthing]

Please keep the talk here to the topic at hand, a new capital for Thailand.

BTW, I reckon it would HAVE to be in central Thailand given the political structure here.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Jingthing

[kitiya1980]

Anywhere but Udon Thani coz i live here and i hate traffic jams, pollution, criminal and etc. wot BKK have! haha typical capital bleh btw the highest place in LOS is Doi Inthanon, Chaing Rai so better move capital to there go far away from me!

[MJP]

Please keep the talk here to the topic at hand, a new capital for Thailand.

BTW, I reckon it would HAVE to be in central Thailand given the political structure here.

Is it simply about the location of the seat of government?

I think it's pretty obvious it would be . . . Chiang Mai.

[yabaaaa]

in 50 billion years the planet wont exist where will you want the capital to be then?

[Jingthing]

in 50 billion years the planet wont exist where will you want the capital to be then?

That is a very silly thing to ask when we are talking about an underwater projection in TWENTY years.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Jingthing

[canuckamuck]

Chonburi is nice and close to suwanapoom, a touch south of there you get small mountains implying that there is bedrock. and there is a cargo route through the nearby river into the gulf, there is rail access, and it is closer to Laem Chabang, the biggest port. Seems like a new city or an expanded Sriracha is a logical choice.

[PoorSucker]

Dubai

[kitiya1980]

in 50 billion years the planet wont exist where will you want the capital to be then?

Uranus? u said ur from Uranus haha ah in 50 billion years Uranus wont exist too? wot u think?

[Jingthing]

Chonburi is nice and close to suwanapoom, a touch south of there you get small mountains implying that there is bedrock. and there is a cargo route through the nearby river into the gulf, there is rail access, and it is closer to Laem Chabang, the biggest port. Seems like a new city or an expanded Sriracha is a logical choice.

I agree with all that, and being close to the old Bangkok Lake is a big plus.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Jingthing

[kitiya1980]

in 50 billion years the planet wont exist where will you want the capital to be then?

That is a very silly thing to ask when we are talking about an underwater projection in TWENTY years.

Haha man look at his username haha wot u expect? "yabaaaaa" u know wot it is duncha?

[teatree]

It may well be a good idea to build a new capital from scratch, complete with pavements, cycle paths, wide roads and a good train system.

But it won't be on account of a rise in sea level. That is just something we are told about to scare us into paying more tax.

[Jingthing]

It may well be a good idea to build a new capital from scratch, complete with pavements, cycle paths, wide roads and a good train system.

But it won't be on account of a rise in sea level. That is just something we are told about to scare us into paying more tax.

Yeah, everything's a conspiracy! Al Gore did it!