Article 44 to fix aviation woes: Prayut

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said today that only the Article 44 under the interim charter can fix the aviation woes within the timeframe.

During his weekly speech, he said that the Civil Aviation Department would need to have more staff, including foreigners to restore public confidence. The power under the Article 44 would ensure that this can be completed within 30 days.

On the subsequent 60 days, a department to oversee the aviation industry will be established for the licensing while the Civil Aviation Department would maintain only the regulatory power.

"The number of flights have escalated to hundreds of thousands. This cannot be assisted with the same number of people (11-12)," he said.

The Article 44 would allow this to happen within 90 days, while normal process would require 1 year to 1 year and a half, he said.

Prayut, also leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has been criticised of invoking the Article, amid fears that the "absolute power" granted by the article would lead to power abuses.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Article-44-to-fix-aviation-woes-Prayut-30257434.html

-- The Nation 2015-04-03

faking records and bribing inspectors is much lower cost than actually doing the work

>>During his weekly speech, he said that the Civil Aviation Department would need to have more staff, including foreigners to restore public confidence.<< Quote

Wrong!! To restore public confidence Thailand needs another leader!!

Never having been in commerce it's likely that the general has never heard the adage that it's always best to under-promise and over-deliver.

Solving all the shortcomings of Thai aviation in 90 days sounds a tad ambitious. Even with the magic wand of article 44.

So employing some foreigners, then establishing his own licensing department who will claim that all black is white, will solve the problem?

No need for safety improvements, just a bit of window dressing is all that is needed.

That is how they think for ages that it works in Thailand, but they will get a cold shower when they discover that the destination countries don't think this is the way it works.

Do you think he could use it to fix world poverty and global warming as well.....

By foreigners, I hope he means experts in aircraft maintenance and pilot and ground personnel training. Even so I wonder if Thais are detail oriented enough to benefit from the training.

I will say that the pilots did an excellent job of getting the depressurized plane down quickly and landed the other day. Kudos. But how did that 737 lose cabin pressure due to an "engine" when both engines can deliver air for cabin pressure? There is complete redundancy in the system, so was one side already faulty and they flew on just one with no backup? This is a very rare occurrence and why are they so quiet?

Cheers.

Next thing you know, he'll be making the trains run on time.

Sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

Too bad past Thai government couldn't use this in the past. But then again they were not ruled by a self appointed leader. It's so damn easy to run a government when you make up your own rules.

By foreigners, I hope he means experts in aircraft maintenance and pilot and ground personnel training. Even so I wonder if Thais are detail oriented enough to benefit from the training.

I will say that the pilots did an excellent job of getting the depressurized plane down quickly and landed the other day. Kudos. But how did that 737 lose cabin pressure due to an "engine" when both engines can deliver air for cabin pressure? There is complete redundancy in the system, so was one side already faulty and they flew on just one with no backup? This is a very rare occurrence and why are they so quiet?

Cheers.

By "foreigners," I wonder if he means "Chinese."

Thailand had the lowest ICAO score of any ASEAN country with only 21 out of 100 areas reviewed by auditors getting a passing grade. This not something that will be fixed in 30 days.

Hiring foreigners is a simplistic quick fix that will not work in the long term as they are likely to have standards and want to hold on to them along with their integrity. The powerful folk who have in the past used their position to get the desired approvals without worrying about minor things like compliance will not be happy with this.

One of the other things required is people who can speak and comprehend acceptable English, the language of the international airline industry amongst others. (This is something the PM could with too given his embarrassing display this week.) Again another failure in the Thai system that will impact on the ASEAN integration with Thailand scoring some of the lowest scores in the region.

If he can get Western people with the right qualifications to come here within the next 30 days I will be surprised. There is probably a handful of people between jobs at anyone time that would be available anyway!

faking records and bribing inspectors is much lower cost than actually doing the work

I somehow almost got involved with scrapping those aircraft sitting off the Viphavadee expressway at Don Muang.

The guy wanted "Farang Marketing Power" as he put it. I told him it should be no big deal to set up a website & rank a few Youtube videos on Google for him.

His mother was/is Norwegian & he spoke pretty good English. He had/has the contract to dismantle them & wanted a farang to sell them to farangs.

It sounded like a cool contract... until I started asking for log books and maintenance records.

They made excuse after excuse after excuse ... Delay, delay, delay.

I lost interest in the project & luckily that's all I lost.

A draconian military rule, to fix a bureaucratic issue?

Too bad past Thai government couldn't use this in the past. But then again they were not ruled by a self appointed leader. It's so damn easy to run a government when you make up your own rules.

Too bad past Thai government(s) didn't upgrade and maintain their aviation sector.

IMO the last Thai government was ruled by a self appointed leader albeit he no longer resided in Thailand.

Edited April 4, 201511 yr by NeilSA1

Hiring foreigners is a simplistic quick fix that will not work in the long term as they are likely to have standards and want to hold on to them along with their integrity. The powerful folk who have in the past used their position to get the desired approvals without worrying about minor things like compliance will not be happy with this.

One of the other things required is people who can speak and comprehend acceptable English, the language of the international airline industry amongst others. (This is something the PM could with too given his embarrassing display this week.) Again another failure in the Thai system that will impact on the ASEAN integration with Thailand scoring some of the lowest scores in the region.

A number of TV members have in the past, complained that Thailand seldom uses the expertise of foreigners, preferring to work with their own.

Now, posters are being negative when there is mention of employing foreigners.

I seem to remember a while back that Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia, got themselves banned from a number of countries over safety issues. It took a lot more than 90 days and a wave of a magic wand to get them back on track.

Is Article 44 like a magic wand? Can it really fix all the ills of Thailand? It certainly appears that way.

Interesting to note that it'll be fixed in 90 days ... wasn't that always the mantra of Charlem?

What is truly amazing is the fact that they waited until the likes of Japan took action before they even considered addressing the problems.

There are dark days ahead and the light at the end of the tunnel may never be reached.

Article 44 allows the Great Savior of Thailand to do anything. The longer at helm, the worse it gonna get!

article 44 to pick up the trash... that could be done in 90 days...

Is Article 44 like a magic wand? Can it really fix all the ills of Thailand? It certainly appears that way.

Interesting to note that it'll be fixed in 90 days ... wasn't that always the mantra of Charlem?

What is truly amazing is the fact that they waited until the likes of Japan took action before they even considered addressing the problems.

There are dark days ahead and the light at the end of the tunnel may never be reached.

I seem to recall Thaksin saying something similar about "Thailand will be drug-free in 90 days".

Don't quote me on that, but I do, for certain, recall that at one point he actually said it WAS drug free. Much like Bush said major combat operations in Iraq were over.

I'm no supporter nor hater of Thaksin, just saying..... They all speak with a fork-ed tongue.

If a politician's mouth is moving, he's usualy lying.

Troll posts have been removed.

Is Article 44 like a magic wand? Can it really fix all the ills of Thailand? It certainly appears that way.

I would suggest the answer to your question largely depends upon who is intending to fix the ills of Thailand, and exactly what their take on readings of such ills actuallly is, and whether or not such ills are read in advance or dealt with on a whimsical daily basis.

If it involves a simplistic autocratic team, with members comprising only Generals and Officers, then I very much hold out no hope for a good prognosis.

I wonder why specifically 44 is needed to clean up this mass.

>>During his weekly speech, he said that the Civil Aviation Department would need to have more staff, including foreigners to restore public confidence.<< Quote

Wrong!! To restore public confidence Thailand needs another leader!!

Perhaps a good law abiding citizen with political experience of being a PM would help.

I believe there is one who is unemployed and living in Dubai who might fit the bill.

I cannot give his name but the initials TS may have something to do with him.

Hiring foreigners is a simplistic quick fix that will not work in the long term as they are likely to have standards and want to hold on to them along with their integrity. The powerful folk who have in the past used their position to get the desired approvals without worrying about minor things like compliance will not be happy with this.

One of the other things required is people who can speak and comprehend acceptable English, the language of the international airline industry amongst others. (This is something the PM could with too given his embarrassing display this week.) Again another failure in the Thai system that will impact on the ASEAN integration with Thailand scoring some of the lowest scores in the region.

The previous PM couldn't speak English properly either even though she graduated from a US university whose teaching language is American English. I won't bother to enumerate the number of gaffes she made out of politeness.

I seem to remember a while back that Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia, got themselves banned from a number of countries over safety issues. It took a lot more than 90 days and a wave of a magic wand to get them back on track.

Same for Korean Airlines. They brought in outside experts when they were on the verge

of being banned from flying into other countries. It worked out well, the experts brought

them back on track. So it is exactly the same as Thailand. Nothing is fixed in Asia until

the wolf is partway into the doorway.

Regarding article 44, at the start it looked scary as hell, when the leader of a country

in essence gives himself absolute power . But if it can fix the airline problems here

maybe it is a good thing ?? { irony button now off} Then once the airline problems are

cleared up, then time to move onto the jet ski and gemstones scams ??

I seem to remember a while back that Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia, got themselves banned from a number of countries over safety issues. It took a lot more than 90 days and a wave of a magic wand to get them back on track.

Same for Korean Airlines. They brought in outside experts when they were on the verge

of being banned from flying into other countries. It worked out well, the experts brought

them back on track. So it is exactly the same as Thailand. Nothing is fixed in Asia until

the wolf is partway into the doorway.

Regarding article 44, at the start it looked scary as hell, when the leader of a country

in essence gives himself absolute power . But if it can fix the airline problems here

maybe it is a good thing ?? { irony button now off} Then once the airline problems are

cleared up, then time to move onto the jet ski and gemstones scams ??

Prayutchan O. Cha seems to be taking a page out of J. Edgar Hoover's playbook, in that he seems to deny the mafia exists.

So far he seems to think there's just a few pockets of corruption and that attractive women in bikinis are the source of woe.

I think it was General Marshall (of The Marshall Plan) that said we'd only know for sure the Allies had won WW2 50 years later if Germany was a thriving democracy.

On that note, I guess history will be this PM's judge.

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to see the guy declare war "Mai Pen Rai" attitude of the populace.

The guy has a long row to hoe though.

Can't say for sure if Article 44 is right or wrong, but he did bring the country back from the brink.........That the Army started in the first place when they ousted Mr. T.

I recently got a Chihuahua puppy (NOT my idea) & he's an IDIOT. He'll be sound asleep, jump up & chase his tail clockwise for a couple minutes, then lay down, jump up & do the same thing counterclockwise... Much like the Thai Goverment(s).

The usual Thai rhetoric no different from that spoken by all that have gone before him, with the exception of article 44...and quite how that makes things work any better is a complete mystery.

Everyone who runs this country or takes any prominent Government position reckons they can fix any problems in next to no time at all. I seem to recall that not too far in the misty past Chalerm was going to fix the problems in the South 'within three months' and several other matters within weeks if not days. He also pledged to cut his own head off in one instance if things didn't work out how he said they would. Naturally....nothing happened !

All Thai men are legends in their own minds and love listening to themselves, so stand by for as much bullshit as you can take in one lifetime.