InfoQuest (February 25, 2020) -- Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob denied the allegation against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who was on suspicion of funneling benefits to former Future Forward Party MP Phicharn Chaowapatanawong. By clarifying that the bidding of the high-speed rail network project linking three airports was conducted in the form of international biding, with a total of 31 firms from different countries participating, including seven from China, four from Japan, two from France, two from Malaysia, one from the Republic of Korea, one from Italy and 14 from Thailand, he denied his ministry favored the interest of any group.
The reason for including the Makkasan and Sriracha in the tender is that if only the railway project were to be tendered, no companies would be interested, as the return on investment is low and the risk of loss is high. And even if these two development projects are incorporated in the tender, there is still a risk of a loss of 70 billion baht.
Delays in contract signing and site delivery were due to problems with the utility system of the construction route. High voltage poles, drainage tunnels and water pipes, for example, have more than 300 barriers, and there are also 900 illegal intruders to deal with. The government has set up a committee to address these issues, and there will be no more cases where the government has to pay compensations for the private sector for breach of contract.
"This project is just like the Eastern Seaboard project completed in 1990. It took eight years to complete the latter and many people doubted it, but when it was completed, it gave a boost to the country's economic system," Mr. Saksayam said.
In addition to implementing the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project, the government has appointed the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) to study the scheme for special economic zones outside the eastern region to open to the outside world, Mr. Saksayam said.
Source: InfoQuest, by Tanit Tongnok / Tanawat / Rachada, translated by Xinhua Silk Road.
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