Bangkok and the second Bangkok International Airport : politics of planning and development

Abstract

The Cabinet's approval of the development of the Second Bangkok International Airport at Nong Ngu Hao on 7 May 1991 was minor news in Thailand. The 97,000 million baht airport project progressed so gradually, and not at all, that only some 5,000 million baht had been spent by early 1997. The project became big news when General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the Prime Minister, first raised objections to the project on 19 January 1997 during talks with the provincial chambers of commerce from all over the country in Trang, a province in the south of Thailand. His statement affected the project soon after. On 1 February 1997, the Bangkok Post, a local English newspaper, highlighted this news as a hot issue: City's second airport destined to never get off the ground. Bangkok's citizenry have grown old waiting for the city's second airport at Nong Ngu Hao. Many of those now involved with it were likely in short pants when the project was first mooted. The reason General Chavalit gave for shelving Nong Ngu Hao was that the first phase would not be ready by 2000. Thailand is also burdened with a severe current account deficit [Bangkok Post, 1 February 1997, p8]. However, the reason for the Prime Minister backing way from the project seems to be conflicts of interest, with the allegation that the coalition government had benefited from the project. Meanwhile, another old development activity became less important news. On 24 February 1997, an article on 'Planning Bangkok's Future' was published in the Bangkok Post.