Citing overcrowded conditions in Bangkok, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said moving the capital is a possibility.
He made the comment at the seminar “Connecting
Thailand with the World”, hosted by the Office of the National Economics
and Social Development Council in Muang Thong Thani on Wednesday
(September 18), and also vowed to extend the registration deadline for
low-income earners to receive state welfare.
“There are two possible approaches to moving the capital,” Prayut said.
“The first is finding a city that’s neither too far nor too expensive to
move to. The second is to decentralise the urban area to outer Bangkok
to reduce crowding.”
The second approach would preserve Bangkok’s important landmarks, he
said, while government and business facilities could be relocated to the
city’s perimeter, reducing the need for so many people to travel in and
out of the city centre and thus easing traffic jams.
Moving the capital is just an idea and would require extensive research
as to the economic and social impacts, Prayut said, but it is a
possibility under his administration.
“Past governments were never able to pull this off, fearing it would
cause irreparable conflict in society,” he said. “The first priority now
is to establish mutual understanding among the people to make sure they
and the government are on the same page.”
Earlier this year Indonesia’s president announced that the capital of
the world’s fourth-most populous country will be moved from Jakarta on
the crowded main island of Java, though no new location has been chosen.
Prayut also said at the seminar 14.6 million citizens had registered as
low-income earners eligible for state welfare, though he believes the
number should be higher.
“Some people missed the registration deadline, so the government will
extend it indefinitely to make sure no one is left behind,” he said.
Source - The Nation
