Showing 81 - 90 of 90
Dicing with runway peril
News, Editorial, Published on 02/07/2016
» A careful and detailed study is needed if the Transport Ministry revives its plan to extend the Phuket International Airport runway by one kilometre into the sea.The project is controversial as land reclamation to accommodate a runway strip will have an impact on marine ecology. That is why it has run into opposition from environmentalists and tourism operators in the province and has never got off the ground.
Make rail pay for itself first
News, Editorial, Published on 07/06/2016
» Thailand prides itself as being the infrastructure centre of mainland Southeast Asia, if not Asean. Our geographic location, our developed transportation and road network outstrips many of our neighbours, giving us an advantage as a logistics hub.
Heal the rift, don't widen it
News, Editorial, Published on 10/05/2016
» A panel of the military-appointed National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) has made yet another attempt to restore national unity through forgiveness. Once again, the proposal is bound to fail. Worse, the reform panel's proposal will make the political divide both deeper and wider. Before the committee could even make its official proto-amnesty proposal to the nation, red-shirt leaders were complaining to the media that it was one-sided, in favour of the old yellow-shirt movement, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
Time to fix Airport Link
News, Editorial, Published on 24/03/2016
» It was indeed a miracle that there were no fatalities or serious injuries among the 700 passengers trapped in the stuffy carriages of the Airport Rail Link's City Line, without air conditioning, for almost an hour under the scorching sun before being rescued. Seven passengers were reported to have fainted and were given first aid.
Tracking the forgers
News, Editorial, Published on 16/02/2016
» Police deserve kudos for their arrest last week of a long-wanted man accused of altering, making and selling counterfeit passports. The tale of a forger caught because of his love for take-home pizzas was worthy of a novel. More to the point, taking Hamid Reza Jafary to court is a major accomplishment. When arrested, police found 173 high-quality passports in his Chachoengsao shophouse. Diplomats said they would have fooled most immigration checkpoints in the world.
Power crash a major flaw
News, Editorial, Published on 13/02/2016
» The power outage at Krabi International Airport early this week which forced immigration authorities to let in about 2,000 travellers without properly vetting their personal data reveals an appalling lack of standards in operating an airport.
Dolls just one of many fads
News, Editorial, Published on 28/01/2016
» The concern voiced just a few days ago by Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya that the "angel child" or luk thep dolls might be used to smuggle drugs on board a commercial plane has been proven to be true.
Taxis do not deserve rise
News, Editorial, Published on 28/12/2015
» The Transport Ministry has given a small New Year's gift to Bangkok commuters. It isn't much and is likely to be snatched back after limited use. The "gift" is a refusal to allow taxi drivers to raise their fares for the second time this year. The reason given to drivers is they are just not giving the kind of service that warrants a second meter adjustment.
A plan for flying safe
News, Editorial, Published on 23/12/2015
» The recent well-publicised and consequential talks and reports over aviation safety often seemed somewhat vague. No airline was mentioned as unsafe. But efforts are clearly are needed to upgrade agencies under the Transport Ministry, including the Directorate of Civil Aviation. The safety issue has now got to a stage that directly affects the flying public, both foreign and domestic.
Uni hurts its own cause
News, Editorial, Published on 14/09/2015
» A military camp will play host to 53 transgender female students of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University from Monday until Wednesday, with the aim of adjusting their attitudes. They got in a spot of trouble late last month for participating in a poorly thought-out hazing ceremony that had them dancing and performing simulated sex. If that was out of line - and it certainly was - what are we to think of this university's punishment, its attitude toward the students in the first place and even its own record on hazing?