Thai Lawmakers Submit Motion On Moving The Thai Capital

[elcent]

amnesty degree passes cabinet. Over 60 years old and with a punishment of not exceeding 3 years will receive amnesty on December 5. No time needs to be served before.

sounds like troubles ahead. Yingluck didn't attend the meeting which was behind closed doors.

I was wondering about 2 hours ago why I heard shootings, afterwards sirens. Coincidence?

Another question, if that amnesty goes through and was tailored for a particular person, could it be that this person, sentenced in 2008, is only eligible to amnesty degrees of 2008 or 2009?

This is a hot potato ... any experts here?

Edited November 15, 2011 by elcent

[tlansford]

Whether the capital moves or not, Bangkok still needs to be protected.

Why move if you still need to protect Bangkok.

Reason for move, is that they don't need to spend money to protect.

bingo - you need to make sure BKK does not flood. Why move the capital... ? Silly idea.

[IsaanUSA]

They can call anywhere the capital but it's not going to make Bangkok disappear. Bangkok will have the same problems whether it is the capital or not. I can't see what moving the capital is going to achieve. People don't live in Bangkok because it's the capital; they live there because it's Bangkok.

EXACTLY!

Moving the capital means building a new building for the government offices and a few hundred people moving to work in that building. They could build it wherever they want and it will not make any change except add confusion and perhaps end up at the butt of some jokes.

I thought the problem was that Bangkok is disappearing, both through sinking and due to the threat of rising sea levels.

Bangkok disappearing and the capital moving are two completely separate issues IMHO. If they government offices for the country of Thailand were moved to a new province that would not have any effect on the city of Bangkok. The old capital would be turned into a museum or disco and the government staff would live in a different province. The only thing that would change (in the short term) would be drier government offices. I think eventually there would be some development around the new capital city, but people from Bangkok aren't going to move to the new capital just because it's the new capital.

[elcent]

Is it coincidence - the visit of the UN president and Secretary of State today, the amnesty bill revealed today too?

Is it possible that the motion of moving the capital was just a hoax to get attention away from the cabinet meeting?

Could it be that the visits will divert to other countries now?

Either way, apart from the floods there are more troubles lurking now ...

[yoshiwara]

Clearly an inspired idea and an opportunity to turn Bangkok into an Asian Venice and tourist attraction.

[elcent]

Clearly an inspired idea and an opportunity to turn Bangkok into an Asian Venice and tourist attraction.

with house-boats like in Amsterdam. A friend of mine bought one, quite cheap and very comfortable. She's happy. why not

[WAERTH]

It seems one crisis at a time s not enough for this government!

[elcent]

It seems one crisis at a time s not enough for this government!

you may want to read this at the other newspaper online. n insightful speech from a well respected man on October 2.

Attempts are being made to centralise economic, political and administrative power, which poses a major problem for the country, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun has warned.

click the author of the amnesty revelation to find it.

[Nisa]

Whether the capital moves or not, Bangkok still needs to be protected.

Why move if you still need to protect Bangkok.

Reason for move, is that they don't need to spend money to protect.

Reason for the idiotic proposal is purely political.

[Buchholz]

How idiotic. The cost of building a new infrastructure alone, to make this possible, would far exceed the costs of simply not pumping drinking water from underneath Bangkok. Bangkok is sinking because of the water removed from under it. The rise of the ocean is insignificant compared to this. The fact that the capital is located in Bangkok has little to do with the reasons for protecting inner Bangkok. Just because the capital moves doesn't mean the population and business will move from Bangkok ... in fact it won't and would simply put the capital out in the middle of nowhere and very very difficult for citizens to get things done with government.

Not idiotic, crafty.

Not exactly the middle of nowhere, Thaksin's Trillion Baht plan had the skytrain running out to Nakhon Nayok.

.

[mca]

I'm all for it. Somewhere nice and suitable like, shall we say, Khon Kaen.

BTW For sale 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom bungalow on 1 rai of land 10 minutes from downtown KK. A snip at 100 million baht. Grab it while you can!

[Buchholz]

Whether the capital moves or not, Bangkok still needs to be protected.

Why move if you still need to protect Bangkok.

Reason for move, is that they don't need to spend money to protect.

Reason for the idiotic proposal is purely political.

financial

[jackr]

This will crush the dreams of many in Chiang Mai.

Screw that, I vote for Chonburi or Khon Kaen.

Clearly an inspired idea and an opportunity to turn Bangkok into an Asian Venice and tourist attraction.

Yep, leaving the old town (Rattanakosin) intact.

[Buchholz]

I'm all for it. Somewhere nice and suitable like, shall we say, Khon Kaen.

BTW For sale 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom bungalow on 1 rai of land 10 minutes from downtown KK. A snip at 100 million baht. Grab it while you can!

Your offer may not be as ridiculous as you think it might be...

Located about 100km northeast of Bangkok, Ban Na - which literally means "home of paddy fields" - is a little world of its own where farmers work all day in paddy fields and buffalos graze on grassland. Thaksin planned to turn this farmland district into a modern metropolis. He even coined a name for it - Nakhon Nayok Muang Mai, or New Town.

After all the publicity given to Thaksin's plans for the area, land prices increased tenfold to as much as one million baht per rai, especially in the central parts of the district, with most of the property speculators coming from Bangkok.

http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok-masstransit-newcity.html

[Buchholz]

amnesty degree passes cabinet. Over 60 years old and with a punishment of not exceeding 3 years will receive amnesty on December 5. No time needs to be served before.

sounds like troubles ahead. Yingluck didn't attend the meeting which was behind closed doors.

What a coincidence. Give him amnesty AND dust off his plans for a trillion baht new city.

Edit to add: better make that 2 trillion to make up for the 8 years of inflation since the scheme was originally hatched.

.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Buchholz

[noitom]

Excellent crackpot idea!! Quick, check all the chanotes and leases in Nakhon Nayok and correlate this with the "ruling party lawmakers" quoted in this article lead paragraph. Will it be possible to relocate all those Thai massage parlors and "houses of ill repute" frequented by those government guys? Will the government guys seek to become "virtual workers" and redirect all those tablet computers now headed to the junior school students who are splashing around in the murky, contaminated water? Stand by for more after a brief pause from our sponsor. Our aim is to keep you laughing your ass off until you fall on your flooded floor.

[mca]

I'm all for it. Somewhere nice and suitable like, shall we say, Khon Kaen.

BTW For sale 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom bungalow on 1 rai of land 10 minutes from downtown KK. A snip at 100 million baht. Grab it while you can!

Your offer may not be as ridiculous as you think it might be...

Located about 100km northeast of Bangkok, Ban Na - which literally means "home of paddy fields" - is a little world of its own where farmers work all day in paddy fields and buffalos graze on grassland. Thaksin planned to turn this farmland district into a modern metropolis. He even coined a name for it - Nakhon Nayok Muang Mai, or New Town.

After all the publicity given to Thaksin's plans for the area, land prices increased tenfold to as much as one million baht per rai, especially in the central parts of the district, with most of the property speculators coming from Bangkok.

http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok-masstransit-newcity.html

Cheers for that.

[bkkjames]

What will they name it: red square?

[Tywais]

Wonder if that means all the Embassies will be moved also? Would sure complicate things if all the Embassies are in the middle of Nakhorn Nowhere.

[animatic]

Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand - better safe than sorry.

Otherwise I vote it be moved to Naypyidaw.

Yes, no small amount does this sound like Myanmar Government's relocation.

Chonburi and Pattayya have a Deep Sea Port

and an existing Combat Zone entertainment district .

Might as well start there.

[toybits]

Does this mean that the Burmese are smarter than the Thais?

Yes, at least the Burmese Generals had the sense to move their capital City .... Naypyidaw will never sink...!

[Buchholz]

Wonder if that means all the Embassies will be moved also? Would sure complicate things if all the Embassies are in the middle of Nakhorn Nowhere.

The planned new high speed rail, projected at 543.65 million baht per kilometer, will transport people there in just an hour.

Additionally, the planned new 4-lane highway would speed vehicular traffic.

.

[toybits]

That's because those Yankees have their heads buried in the sand when it comes to climate change and rising sea levels. Fools get left behind.

They can call anywhere the capital but it's not going to make Bangkok disappear. Bangkok will have the same problems whether it is the capital or not. I can't see what moving the capital is going to achieve. People don't live in Bangkok because it's the capital; they live there because it's Bangkok. The people of NYC aren't leaving in droves because Washington is the capital.

[KKvampire]

It will be a choice of spending Billions on trying to protect Bangkok from the rising sea levels and more floods from the north or spending billions over a period of time moving north, I think Khon Kaen would be a good location with its location and room for more expansion Bangkok can just be an entertainment and tourist attraction. but knowing Thailand nothing will ever happen until the water is lapping around parliament and every other government building,

[Reasonableman]

Rationale for moving the capital of Myanmar to Naypyidaw (according to Wiki)

Naypyidaw is more centrally and strategically located than the old capital, Yangon. It is also a transportation hub located adjacent to the Shan, Kayah and Kayin states. It was felt that a stronger military and governmental presence nearby might provide stability to those chronically turbulent regions.[13] The official explanation for moving the capital was that Yangon had become too congested and crowded with little room for future expansion of government offices.

Some Western diplomats speculated that the government were concerned with the possibility of foreign attack, as Yangon is on the coast and therefore vulnerable to an amphibious invasion. Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, who visited Naypyidaw in January 2007, described the vastness of the new capital as "the ultimate insurance against regime change, a masterpiece of urban planning designed to defeat any putative "colour revolution" – not by tanks and water cannons, but by geometry and cartography".

[animatic]

Rationale for moving the capital of Myanmar to Naypyidaw (according to Wiki)

Naypyidaw is more centrally and strategically located than the old capital, Yangon. It is also a transportation hub located adjacent to the Shan, Kayah and Kayin states. It was felt that a stronger military and governmental presence nearby might provide stability to those chronically turbulent regions.[13] The official explanation for moving the capital was that Yangon had become too congested and crowded with little room for future expansion of government offices.

Some Western diplomats speculated that the government were concerned with the possibility of foreign attack, as Yangon is on the coast and therefore vulnerable to an amphibious invasion. Indian journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, who visited Naypyidaw in January 2007, described the vastness of the new capital as "the ultimate insurance against regime change, a masterpiece of urban planning designed to defeat any putative "colour revolution" – not by tanks and water cannons, but by geometry and cartography".

A location and design to protect the unnaturally paranoid.

[daiwill60]

That's a great article! That should have all the residents of Bangkok scrambling to leave. It's also a good article to persuade investors looking to invest money in Thailand to stay far away (or current ones to start leaving) Bangkok. They have know about this for many years same as Venice, Italy, but I doubt one bit of planning has been done in the past around this fact.

It will be a waterworld of floating bars and bar girls.

Lookout Chiangmai, you will soon be "Little Bangkok!" Amazing Thailand!

why would they do that? in 50 years you gonna be DEAD

What an idiotic response.

They do it now because things like this take 50 years or so to gradually happen. Nobody is suggesting moving lock, stock and barrel suddenly next month and leaving an empty wasteland behind where Bangkok once stood.

If nothing got done in readiness for the future by our forefathers, or us here now, there would be nothing here for us now or for our kids in the future.

Why should we invent electricity? We are gonna be dead in 50 years.

Why should we build a town here? We are going to be dead in 50 years.

On another point raised however, Did I or did I not see here recently, that massive investment is being made in Khon Kaen these days in the way of development of Khon Kaen as a Green City of the future,

it also makes one think , when you hear so many people talking about the amount of people from Bangkok who are buying property up in Isaan, that the capital may already be on the move anyway.

[EyesWideOpen]

An interesting concept to move the capital. Check into who is the largest landowner in Bangkok......

[Buchholz]

On another point raised however, Did I or did I not see here recently, that massive investment is being made in Khon Kaen these days in the way of development of Khon Kaen as a Green City of the future,

it also makes one think , when you hear so many people talking about the amount of people from Bangkok who are buying property up in Isaan, that the capital may already be on the move anyway.

Yes, there is development slotted for Khon Kaen:

but that's just vague detail-less lip service for ASEAN.

The towering stack of money in the Treasury is destined for, according to the Pheu Thai Party MP leading the move, Sathaporn Maneerat, revitalizing the move of the capital to Nakhon Nayok, for which, btw, the speculation property was all previously bought up in 2003.

.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Buchholz

[blazes]

The new capital should, quite simply, be located where the most beautiful pooying in Thailand live. (To be determined by a committee of farangs.)

Maybe call the new capital...erm...New Amsterdam. Then, later, change it to New Nyok.

On the other hand, why not simply transfer the Thai capital to Amsterdam. Period. Should solve all water problems and preserve erotic bar life.