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New Bangkok airport plagued by cracks
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport plagued by cracked taxiways
The Associated Press Published: January 21, 2007 BANGKOK, Thailand: Bangkok's new international airport has about 100 cracks in the taxiways that lead up to runways and will need to close the damaged areas for repair, a top airport official said Monday. Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport and a senior executive in state-run Airports of Thailand, however, denied news reports splashed across front pages Monday saying that the cracks had also emerged in runways. "The cracks do not appear in runways and pose no safety threat to aircraft," Somchai said when contacted by telephone. Nonetheless, it was the latest batch of bad publicity for the flashy new airport, which opened Sept. 28 and has been plagued by glitches and corruption allegations. The airport's two runways are each served by more than 10 taxiways, and Somchai said the cracks had appeared in about 24 different locations. Today in Asia - Pacific China's silence on missile launching puzzles U.S. officials The Taliban announce that they will open schools in Afghanistan U.S. envoy confident in North Korea nuclear talks The cracks began appearing about two weeks after the airport opened and are believed to stem from underground water seeping through the cement and asphalt, he said. The airport was built on a swamp. The existence of the cracks was made public Sunday by a panel set up by the National Legislative Assembly to inspect the airport's construction. Praphan Koonmee, head of the panel, was quoted by newspapers as saying that his investigating committee toured the airport and detected cracks in both the taxiways and runways, totaling about 70,000 sq. meters (750,000 sq. feet) in damage. Somchai, however, disputed the total area affected, saying it had yet to be estimated. He said the contractor for the airfield surface would bear the cost of the repairs. Some of the cracked taxiways had already been fixed, but others would need to be closed while the repairs took place, he said. Somchai pledged that this would not disrupt air traffic. A statement from the contractor, a Thai-Japanese joint venture called IOT, said four taxiways and 10 taxilanes, which lead to aircraft parking areas, were affected by the cracks. It said its investigation showed that seepage of ground water and water vapor affected the bond between the bitumen base and concrete surfaces, leading to the damage. "It was not due to construction defects," said the statement. Transport Minister Thira Haocharoen said he planned to inspect the cracks in the coming days and was waiting for the findings of the independent panel to determine whether the remaining taxiways should be closed during repairs. Suvarnabhumi Airport was heralded as one of the crowning achievements of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra before he was deposed in a Sept. 19 coup. Since then, the airport has become a focal point of corruption investigations into Thaksin's administration. After opening, the airport has faced problems with its baggage handling system and computerized check-in services, leading to lost luggage and long lines for passengers. It also underestimated the need for public toilets and officials have said new bathrooms will be built to meet the demand. |
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New Bangkok airport plagued by cracks
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New Bangkok airport plagued by cracks
Vagabond wrote: Are these the same cracks a newspaper in Bangkok was forced by Thaksin to say didn't exist after first reporting them? VB Since we talk about the same airport, there could be some truth in the Bangkok Post reports of last year :-) Chabby |
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New Bangkok airport plagued by cracks
Vagabond wrote: Are these the same cracks a newspaper in Bangkok was forced by Thaksin to say didn't exist after first reporting them? VB yes, and i think some top editors at the Nation (thai newspaper) were forced out of their jobs over this issue. but there are photos on the web now of the cracks. its a wonder anyone survives in thailand. a building called New World Shopping Center on Chakrapongse stree just off Khao San Road 9 or 10 stories tall -- top stories collapsed after a few years. Corrupt construction pay offs. they say you stuff a bunch of thai currency notes into a cigaret pack and hand it to the right person. All business in thailand is controlled by chinese. I used to go up to the top floor for iced coffee and the view. sarp |
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