Article 44 order to speed up projects in Eastern Corridor

[rooster59]

Article 44 order to speed up projects in Eastern Corridor

By THE SUNDAY NATION

 

THE government published guidelines for investment rules in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in the Royal Gazette on Friday, aiming to cut short investment regulations and speed up projects.

 

Using the all-powerful Article 44 of the interim charter, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha overruled normal legislature, allowing flexible rules of private and public partnership (PPP) for investment projects in three Eastern coastal provinces – Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong.

 

Under the normal process, PPP projects can take about 40 months before getting the green light, but the government wants to reduce the time frame to about 8-10 months.

 

The government plans to connect Don Muang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport and U-Tapao with high-speed trains. The development includes expansion of the Eastern seaboard port. 

 

The airspace industry has also been put on the fast track as the government aims to develop U-Tapao airport as a hub for aircraft parts manufacturing and maintenance. 

 

International schools will also be given special treatment as the government wants to lure talent from aboard to work in them. The new schools in these provinces would not be covered by the law related to private schools and education personnel. The new guidelines will enable education experts or teachers from abroad to work in the EEC zone.

 

Kanit Sangsubhan, secretary-general of the EEC Office, said earlier he expected investment worth Bt 1.5 trillion in the first five years of the EEC. He said the government planned to expand three seaports –Laem Chabang, Map Ta Phut and Sattahip – which should be completed by 2022. 

 

The government also plans to build dual-track rail linking the three seaports in order to provide logistics services for investors. That project is also expected to be complete in 2022. 

 

While the Board of Investment projected that private investment in EEC this year is expected to be Bt150 billion, applications for investment in the first quarter this year amounted to Bt 16 billion. 

 

The board disclosed that applications for investment in the EEC between 2015-2016 were worth Bt 287 billion, with actual investment between 2016-2018 estimated to be 70 per cent of total application’s worth. 

 

The government has promoted 10 cluster industries in the EEC. These include next generation of automotive, robotics, smart electronics, medical and biotechnology.

 

The EEC is expected to upgrade Thailand’s economy, climbing up development ladder from a middle-income country to a high-income one. Critics have pointed out that since Thailand is becoming an ageing society, the number of new workers is expected to decline, which will limit the county development ambitions. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30316519

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-28

[NanLaew]

All this expansion and development to be completed in 5 years? With the intent of fast-tracking the approval process to 8 to 10 months, that's the best part of a year just getting it organised so four years at most to actually get the grunt work all done. They must be running out of money faster than we think.

 

Why can't article 44 be applied to the whole national education debacle instead of these as yet unidentified, new international schools in the EEC? I would wager that a degree would be the minimum requirement to work in these 10 esoteric, money-making, new 'cluster' industries... the same as it is to work the desks at the local 7-eleven? I think it takes a minimum of 4 years to get a degree after finishing up at the new international schools... oh... you do the math!

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The government plans to connect Don Muang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport and U-Tapao with high-speed trains. The development includes expansion of the Eastern seaboard port. 

 

The airspace industry has also been put on the fast track as the government aims to develop U-Tapao airport as a hub for aircraft parts manufacturing and maintenance. 

One has to ask "If we build it will they come"

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The EEC is expected to upgrade Thailand’s economy, climbing up development ladder from a middle-income country to a high-income one.

File under wishful thinking. 

[champers]

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

 

Why can't article 44 be applied to the whole national education debacle instead of these as yet unidentified, new international schools in the EEC? I would wager that a degree would be the minimum requirement to work in these 10 esoteric, money-making, new 'cluster' industries... the same as it is to work the desks at the local 7-eleven? I think it takes a minimum of 4 years to get a degree after finishing up at the new international schools... oh... you do the math!

Rugby school have been carrying full page ads in BP for their new (as yet unbuilt) school near Pattaya. Includes rugby pitches and a golf course. That will be rugby union. Rugby league is for commoners.

Edited May 28, 2017 by champers

[mtls2005]

Can't seem to get much done these days without using Article 44?

 

Pretty soon they'll need Article 88 to speed all the Article 44 "programs".

 

I'm sure no one group of people will benefit from these Special Economic Zone projects. 

 

 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, champers said:

Rugby school have been carrying full page ads in BP for their new (as yet unbuilt) school near Pattaya. Includes rugby pitches and a golf course. That will be rugby union. Rugby league is for commoners.

Money pit.

[champers]

15 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Can't seem to get much done these days without using Article 44?

 

Pretty soon they'll need Article 88 to speed all the Article 44 "programs".

 

I'm sure no one group of people will benefit from these Special Economic Zone projects. 

 

 

Don't you mean just one group of people?

[Bluespunk]

I await the environmental destruction that this speeding up process will bring about with depressing certainty.