Transport Minister: Thailand's Infrastructure Megaprojects to Move Forward

[webfact]

Transport Minister: Thailand’s Infrastructure Megaprojects to Move Forward
BY JACOB MASLOW



BANGKOK: -- Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand’s Transport Minister, has reassured investors that the pending 20 infrastructure projects will be moving forward as planned. The regime’s latest order allows state authorities to bypass the environmental impact assessment requirements for state projects, allowing the planned projects to move forward quickly.

Mr. Arkhom’s remarks offer reassurance to project investors, many of whom were concerned that the 20 megaprojects, worth 1.796 trillion baht, would not be implemented by Thailand’s government.

The pending projects cover various types of transport systems, including maritime, railways and air transport. A phase 2 expansion of the Suvarnabhumi airport is also included as well as five dual-track railway projects.

Full story: https://ethailand.com/business-news/transport-minister-thailands-infrastructure-megaprojects-to-move-forward/1757/

-- eThailand 2016-03-16

[phoenixdoglover]

What "investors"? These are State projects.

[leeneeds]

What "investors"? These are State projects.

Banks, influential people with money who then gain contracts,

Governments are very good at ( persuade - ing )

investment from the private sector,

[tomacht8]

The regime’s latest order allows state authorities to bypass the environmental impact assessment requirements for state projects,

A significant step back in the direction of transparency of state projects.

[robblok]

The regime’s latest order allows state authorities to bypass the environmental impact assessment requirements for state projects,

A significant step back in the direction of transparency of state projects.

Agreed, those impact assessments are there for a reason. Real bad of junta to do this.

[Eric Loh]

What "investors"? These are State projects.

Most likely another gaffe and wrong use of the word by another general who has really no experience as the TM. Anyway all these mega projects have been awarded and Sino-Thai got the bulk. They did reported in that they facing many delays to the projects this year.

[fanof3d]

bypass the environmental impact assessment requirements for state projects

WoW, don't want to miss out on any investment money, even at the cost of potentially harmful environmental consequences. Doesn't really surprise me however.

[KamalaRider]

The regime’s latest order allows state authorities to bypass the environmental impact assessment requirements for state projects,

A significant step back in the direction of transparency of state projects.

Agreed, those impact assessments are there for a reason. Real bad of junta to do this.

In theory they are important but that's in theory.

[toloman]

What "investors"? These are State projects.

It is about time. All I ever see on projects in Thailand is delays delays and more delays. One after another. Thailand is long overdue for establishing a unit train system. Tracks--- double tracks running in opposite direction like those in Japan. Japan has had a unit track railroad system for a long time and it improves delivery time and freight efficiency when trains don't have to constantly move to a side rail to let a train coming from the opposite direction to pass.

[fanof3d]

What "investors"? These are State projects.

It is about time. All I ever see on projects in Thailand is delays delays and more delays. One after another. Thailand is long overdue for establishing a unit train system. Tracks--- double tracks running in opposite direction like those in Japan. Japan has had a unit track railroad system for a long time and it improves delivery time and freight efficiency when trains don't have to constantly move to a side rail to let a train coming from the opposite direction to pass.

It's not only delays, it's completion time. Thai "state" projects have historically taken longer to complete as they do to get started. They are always lagging behind. I've seen a 4 mile section of a highway take over 2 years to be completed before, TWO years. My wife says Thai workers are lazy when it comes to big projects and that they don't put forth their best effort in hopes that repairs would ensue soon after completion so that they can continue to get work. Don't know if there is any truth to that but I do know that projects big or small take forever to complete on the state level. So I guarantee that a unit train system would take a very long time to complete, let alone get started. Investors will pull their money out and jump ship which seems to be common these days. Would be nice to see some of these projects come along but one would have to wonder if the LOS even cares about delivery time and freight efficiency in the first place. Last year we were contemplating spending billions for Chinese submarines so yeah priorities are all over the place.