ChristianTroy Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 The contractors were supposed to lay down a proper foundation to build the run way on, but instead they used sand....... As usual a complete f*ck up that everyone is going to hope is going to go away. No chance, and the Thais may *finally* have to face the consequences of thier rampant corruption... -j- No kidding? Yeah that sounds thai for me not sure if it is corruption because I don't know much about that topic, but this is pretty much the thai interpretation of "face" look good on the outside and hope nobody finds the misery on the inside! When the inspections were made the contractor looked good and got his check, now he lost his reputation for building the wrong and weak foundation. Once again it is proven that they don't have the ability to see whats coming next, count from 1 to 2 not knowing that 3 would be the next, they hope it is 4 or 7!!! Dickheads! There is so much at stake in this matter, how can they do that? Probably leaning a couple of yards to far out of the window here, but that comparasion works at least for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hey, they can always blame the farang contractors that worked on the project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 It seems like they have a nice new modern airport except that soon there won't be anywhere to land the planes. Maybe the Govt. should have paid more attention to problems like this instead of obsessing over the naughty nightlife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 New Airport cursed by corruption scandals THE NATION 25 Jan 2007 Suvarnabhumi suffering from plays to nab Thaksin and his cohorts for the 'web of illegal deals' during its construction Since former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted, several teams of investigators have stormed into Suvarnabhumi Airport searching for irregularities, apparently in a series of moves to dig up proof of corruption with which to attack him. On Monday, deputy permanent secretary for defence Bannavit Kengrien made an emotional statement in which he claimed that Suvarnabhumi, which Thaksin highlighted as one of his achievements over the past five years, would be Thaksin's graveyard. It is an open secret that Bannavit was among the military men who were bullied by the Thaksin regime. In the same vanguard there is a National Legislative Assembly committee, specifically set up to investigate all the Suvarnabhumi scandals. It includes both Winai Senniam and Praphan Khoonmee, former members of the Democrat Party and arch-rivals of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party. They have found some proof of corruption. Only four months after its official opening, the airport's taxiways are cracked and need fixing in 25 places. Winai and Praphan showed additional evidence yesterday, saying that more than 71,000 square metres of the passenger terminal, which covers about 500,000 square metres, have been damaged. Obviously, they are pointing their fingers at the Thaksin administration, which handed out most of the airport development deals. Moreover, they are pushing for the closure of the airport, for renovations to ensure the safety of passengers. Sonthi Limthongkul, a long-time leader of anti-Thaksin forces, points out that if the airport is closed, it will give a strong indication that Thaksin was guilty of several corruption cases. But is the damage really that serious? Some say that aircraft could pick up tiny rocks from the taxiway cracks and these could lead to explosions if they hit the fuel tanks. Tortrakul Yommanak, a director of Airports of Thailand - the operator of the new airport - does not think so, although he counts himself among the anti-Thaksin people. He said the damage, including that on the taxiways, can be fixed without having to close Suvarnabhumi. In this power play, all the bad news will unavoidably force local and foreign travellers, and all who use the airport, to lose confidence in Suvarnabhumi. The Tourism Authority of Thailand's new governor Pornsiri Manoharn has voiced her grave concerns about the bad news. "It will be terribly worrying for foreigners who are travelling to Thailand. They could withdraw their travelling plans immediately if they fear for their safety." Pornsiri and business people accept that closing the airport may be necessary if the safety issues are sufficiently serious and the danger can be substantiated. However, many separate investigations and criticisms will not help to determine whether the problems are really that serious. The government should step in quickly to clarify the issue, starting with the establishment of an independent investigation team who will not come up with biased opinions. If possible, representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organisation should be invited to join the team, to decide whether the airport should be repaired or closed, and to give Thailand a chance to prove to the world that Suvarnabhumi is up to international standards. In that way, we would be telling the world that we are dealing with a national issue in a professional way, and not being driven by political ill-will. Such an investigation team should be established as soon as possible, given that many parts of the airport are running out of insurance coverage. If anything is to be fixed, then it should be the responsibility of those construction firms that were awarded the construction contracts. An investigation panel is necessary, given that AOT does not have the power to convince the public of the airport's safety because its board of directors is politically controlled. Its board is now chaired by General Saprang Kalayanamitr, assistant secretary of the Council of National Security. Without the opinion from a very independent body, the airport will remain an open target for anyone who wants to hold it up as collateral damage in a political battle. If these issues are dragged on for political benefit, taxpayers will have to shoulder the eventual cost. At present, airlines, logistics companies and tour operators are refraining from commenting on the impact of a possible closure. Operating from the airport, they are hopeful that Suvarnabhumi is just caught up in the ongoing power play and that it will be rescued once the culprit is caught. It is so in Hollywood movies. But it will be interesting to see who will be the hero to save the airport, which has already swallowed more than Bt100 billion in development costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooper Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Its a joke I find it almost impossible that something as important as an international airport was open to so much baltant corruption.Sure back handers for the contracts is nothing new and almost the norm in most places,but to buy the cheapest materials money can buy and hope no one will find out about it shows how deep the corruption was under Trashcans goverment.Seems that just they hoped that all this sub standard shit would last a few years and by that time they could not be blamed saying something like its due to the increase in traffic.I really belive they should close it blame trashcan and sort it out before there is an serious accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Wasn't denver a joke too? Ridiculous cost overruns. Advanced baggage handling didn't work. On inspection they found they didn't use the right amount of rebar in the runways and had to rip them out and do it agian. It was a real laughing stock in the media. That is no excuse for Thailand to screw up as much as they did, but the west can be equally stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 When you look down from the air, the cracks make it look like even the runway is smiling in welcome! I think it's nice. Makes me remember the cows that used to wander the runways in Delhi, a touch of local colour that adds to your holiday... YimSiam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasathai1 Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 better than Ankara airprot used to be, we had to dodge craters on takeoff. as for work quality, it just ensures more work as time goes by. ( just like most road construction) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damen Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 The place is a fucking disaster. I had been holding out hope but after using it, I'm on board with all of the other critics. A shopping mall where you can catch a plane someone has said. Air Conditioning is shit. Sub par lighting at night at the gates. Forget about reading anything if you value your eyesight. The one nice thing about the place was the garden plaza outside the terminal. Even that view was fucked up when I noticed workers sleeping on the grounds like bums in a New York subway. Blow the place up and start from scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 i dont like the thought of flying to bkk and not landing at don muang, i really like that airport....far easier than heathrow thats for sure despite its location problems etc...i'll miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.