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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
- Start date
Tonight after massage went to a roast pork rice shop, highly recommended
Rice section
Big pot of sauce
Noodle section
Wanton soup (45 baht)
My rice (55 baht)
My $4.25 dinner
Share location - https://goo.gl/maps/3Khuq4ngigRJ6Haj6
Rice section
Big pot of sauce
Noodle section
Wanton soup (45 baht)
My rice (55 baht)
My $4.25 dinner
Share location - https://goo.gl/maps/3Khuq4ngigRJ6Haj6
Bad debts by mostly farangs on medical bills, not surprisingly
Mandatory health insurance for retirement visa holders likely to take effect in July
national May 16, 2019 01:00
By Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation
FOREIGNERS aged 50 and above living in Thailand on a long-stay visa will likely have to buy health insurance from July onwards, as authorities are preparing guidelines to enforce the new rules.
Approved by the Cabinet last month, the new regulation will require expats on the long-stay non-immigrant O-A visa to have health insurance that offers Bt40,000 coverage for outpatient treatment and Bt400,000 for inpatient.
The requirement was introduced because foreign expats have piled up unpaid medical bills of more than Bt300 million since 2016.
“We will ask the Immigration Bureau, the Foreign Ministry and the Insurance Department for additional details and implementation guidelines next week,” Saowapa Jongkittipong, who leads the Health Service Support Department’s International Health Division, said yesterday.
She said that once the rule is implemented, applicants for the non-immigrant O-A visa, which is valid for one year from the date of issue, would be required to buy health insurance.
“Current holders of this visa will have to produce proof of their health insurance for visa renewal,” she said.
According to Saowapa, this requirement is necessary because medical treatments provided to many elderly long-time foreign residents have weighed heavily on the state coffers.
Last year, foreigners incurred Bt305 million in unpaid medical bills. Foreigners in 2017 left Bt346 million in unpaid medical bills. If categorised by the number of medical visits, statistics show about one-fifth of foreign patients did not pay their bills.
Huge unpaid bills
For instance, foreigners made 3.42 million medical visits last year, and did not pay for 680,000 of them, while in 2017, foreigners made 3.3 million medical visits and did not pay for 565,000 of them.
Saowapa said further discussions among relevant agencies would help establish which diseases would be covered under the mandatory health insurance.
The ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs have been instructed to inform all foreigners of these new requirements.
Currently, citizens of only 14 countries require health insurance when seeking Thai visas for five years and above.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry has suggested that visa applicants purchase health insurance from one of the companies listed on www.longstay.tgia.org. The ministry has also told relevant agencies to plan how health insurance policies bought overseas will be verified.
The problem of bad debts incurred by foreigners has existed for many years.
Earlier this year, Health Service Support Department director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said his department had decided to establish claim centres in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani provinces to help state hospitals collect what is owed to them by foreign patients. The very fact that such centres are required reflects the severity of the problem.
Taking note of this, the Public Health Ministry proposed to the Cabinet early last month that applicants of non-immigrant O-A visa be required to purchase health insurance.
KEY NUMBERS
Bad medical debts from expats have been cited in the move to make health insurance mandatory for foreigners aged 50 and above who are living in Thailand on a one-year long-stay visa.
2016
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 32 million
Number of medical visits by them: 2.6 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 667,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 71,288
Outstanding debt: Bt380 million
2017
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 35 million
Number medical visits by them: 3.3 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 565,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 68,696
Outstanding debt: Bt346 million
2018
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 38 million
Number of medical visits by them: 3.42 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 680,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 80,950
Outstanding debt: Bt305 million
Proposed mandatory health insurance
Bt40,000 coverage for outpatient treatment
Bt400,000 coverage for inpatient treatments
Source:Department of Health Service Support
Mandatory health insurance for retirement visa holders likely to take effect in July
national May 16, 2019 01:00
By Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation
FOREIGNERS aged 50 and above living in Thailand on a long-stay visa will likely have to buy health insurance from July onwards, as authorities are preparing guidelines to enforce the new rules.
Approved by the Cabinet last month, the new regulation will require expats on the long-stay non-immigrant O-A visa to have health insurance that offers Bt40,000 coverage for outpatient treatment and Bt400,000 for inpatient.
The requirement was introduced because foreign expats have piled up unpaid medical bills of more than Bt300 million since 2016.
“We will ask the Immigration Bureau, the Foreign Ministry and the Insurance Department for additional details and implementation guidelines next week,” Saowapa Jongkittipong, who leads the Health Service Support Department’s International Health Division, said yesterday.
She said that once the rule is implemented, applicants for the non-immigrant O-A visa, which is valid for one year from the date of issue, would be required to buy health insurance.
“Current holders of this visa will have to produce proof of their health insurance for visa renewal,” she said.
According to Saowapa, this requirement is necessary because medical treatments provided to many elderly long-time foreign residents have weighed heavily on the state coffers.
Last year, foreigners incurred Bt305 million in unpaid medical bills. Foreigners in 2017 left Bt346 million in unpaid medical bills. If categorised by the number of medical visits, statistics show about one-fifth of foreign patients did not pay their bills.
Huge unpaid bills
For instance, foreigners made 3.42 million medical visits last year, and did not pay for 680,000 of them, while in 2017, foreigners made 3.3 million medical visits and did not pay for 565,000 of them.
Saowapa said further discussions among relevant agencies would help establish which diseases would be covered under the mandatory health insurance.
The ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs have been instructed to inform all foreigners of these new requirements.
Currently, citizens of only 14 countries require health insurance when seeking Thai visas for five years and above.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry has suggested that visa applicants purchase health insurance from one of the companies listed on www.longstay.tgia.org. The ministry has also told relevant agencies to plan how health insurance policies bought overseas will be verified.
The problem of bad debts incurred by foreigners has existed for many years.
Earlier this year, Health Service Support Department director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said his department had decided to establish claim centres in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani provinces to help state hospitals collect what is owed to them by foreign patients. The very fact that such centres are required reflects the severity of the problem.
Taking note of this, the Public Health Ministry proposed to the Cabinet early last month that applicants of non-immigrant O-A visa be required to purchase health insurance.
KEY NUMBERS
Bad medical debts from expats have been cited in the move to make health insurance mandatory for foreigners aged 50 and above who are living in Thailand on a one-year long-stay visa.
2016
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 32 million
Number of medical visits by them: 2.6 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 667,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 71,288
Outstanding debt: Bt380 million
2017
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 35 million
Number medical visits by them: 3.3 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 565,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 68,696
Outstanding debt: Bt346 million
2018
Non-immigrant (O-A) visa holders: 38 million
Number of medical visits by them: 3.42 million
Number of unpaid medical bills: 680,000
Number of long-stay expats seeking medical services: 80,950
Outstanding debt: Bt305 million
Proposed mandatory health insurance
Bt40,000 coverage for outpatient treatment
Bt400,000 coverage for inpatient treatments
Source:Department of Health Service Support
Interesting piece on Bang Rak (old quarter of Bangkok)
Bring yourself to Bang Rak
"Bang Rak has been home to multicultural groups of people. They are those who have different beliefs, ranging from Buddhism to Taoism, Christianity and Islam," said Thanat Bhumarush, a tourist officer of the Bangkok Tourism Division of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. He was the guide who led our Bang Rak walking tour, hosted recently by KTC's PR Press Club.
The area was a large port and a trading hub since the early Rattanakosin era. Charoen Krung Road used to be a canal before being turned into a road in 1862, during the reign of King Rama IV.
People called it different names. Westerners, who requested the road for riding horse-drawn carriages for fresh air, called it New Road. Chinese immigrants called it Xing Pa Lo, meaning the New Road, while Thai people called it Thanon Tok, meaning the Street Falls, into Chao Phraya River, because the street ended on the bank of the river. King Rama IV officially named it Charoen Krung Road in 1868.
"Some people may misunderstand that Charoen Krung was the first road of the Kingdom, but the first road was Thanon Trong, which is Rama IV Road today. The street turns 160 years old this year," he said, adding that Thanon Trong was constructed about four years before Charoen Krung Road.
A carved dragon guards the golden name plate of the Deities of 108 Brothers. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Our first stop to explore Bang Rak started at the Chinese shrine next to BTS Saphan Taksin. Called Bang Rak Shrine or Chiao Eng Biao in Hainan dialect, the shrine was built during the period of King Rama IV to honour 108 Chinese traders who were killed in Vietnam because they were mistaken for pirates.
"They were honest and good men, so people honoured them as deities. Instead of making 108 statutes for them, they made a wooden nameplate with Chinese characters depicting the words of the Deities of 108 Brothers. The shrine was built for the deities in Bangkok and another one in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam," he said.
As a result, the Bang Rak Shrine does not have a sculpture of a Chinese god or goddess as the principal deity but has a nameplate representing the most important deity of the shrine. People believe the Deities of 108 Brothers can grant them good business and wealth.
"The way to pay respect to Chinese gods in any Chinese shrine is to first worship the principal god, who is always placed in the centre. The next step is to pay homage to another deity on your right and then on your left," he said.
Imam Thanarat Watcharapisud in the main prayer hall of Haroon Mosque. The walls show carved Arabic letters painted in a golden colour. The verse is a teaching from the Koran. Above him is the green ceiling lantern given to the mosque by King Rama V. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
We continued our journey to Wat Suan Phlu, about 500m away on Soi Charoen Krung 42/1. The temple was built in the Ayutthaya period and was renovated in the reign of King Rama I.
"The name of Wat Suan Phlu came from the location, which was surrounded by farms of betel [phlu] in the past," he said.
It is a long tradition that after the king ascended to the throne, he would make great merit for the Kingdom, such as renovating old temples. After the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, King Rama I became the first king of the Rattanakosin Era. He renovated some old temples in the capital. He also collected old Buddha images from abandoned temples in the central and northern regions, donating Buddha images to the renovated temples in Bangkok. The collection totalled 1,248 Buddha images, and a large number of them have been placed around the ordination hall of Wat Pho to this day, he said.
"It is believed that the seated Buddha image in Wat Suan Phlu was taken from a ruined temple in the Sukhothai Kingdom, because the sculpture shows the beautiful arts of Sukhothai," he said. The image is housed in the ordination hall. When you are inside the hall, which was renovated again in 1967, you may forget that you are in one of the crowded areas of Bangkok, as traffic noise seems to be far away.
The European-style building of the Old Customs House has the royal seal of King Rama V on the top. Today the building is closed to the public. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
A short walk from the temple to Soi Charoen Krung 40, you will see the elegant Roman Catholic Assumption Cathedral. The 210-year-old church is located in the compound of Assumption Convent College. However, it is closed due to renovation.
Our trip went further north to the two-century-old Muslim community in Soi Charoen Krung 36. While we were at the Haroon Mosque, we heard the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer.
Within 10 minutes the main prayer hall was almost filled with Muslim men and boys, while women and girls sat in a separate zone on a spacious balcony.
During the Ramadan, only a few street food stalls in the Haroon community are open during daytime. One of them is this roti-mataba shop. The mataba (stuffed roti) has three choices of fillings including chicken, beef or sweets. The sweet-filled mataba is stuffed with ripe banana, candied gourd, raisin and egg. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
During Ramadan or the month of fasting, more people come to the mosque to worship God, as they believe making merit during the month is greater than other months, said Imam Thanarat Watcharapisud. During other times of day, men and boys also come to the masjid to read the Koran.
The Muslim neighbourhood is an old community in Bangkok. Their ancestors were merchants who immigrated from Indonesia during the reign of King Rama III. They built a small teakwood masjid in 1828. Haroon Bafaden was the first Imam, and the mosque was named after him. During the period of King Rama V, the mosque was relocated about 500m from the bank of the river because the King decided to build a custom house near the pier where the mosque was located. A bigger piece of land was provided to the community. The present mosque is a two-storey structure which has welcomed not only locals but Islamic expats and foreign visitors to join the prayer.
This seated image of Buddha is one of the sacred images in Wat Suan Phlu. The sculpture sits next to the entrance of the prayer hall behind the ordination hall. Locals believe that the Buddha image protected them from air raids from Japanese aircraft during World War II. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
"We provide food for free during the Ramadan. Everyone who is Muslim or not can come to us and enjoy the food," said Imam Thanarat.
A short walk from the mosque is Bangkok's first custom house, known as sunlaka sathan in Thai. It is located next to the riverside French embassy. The three-storey building of the Old Customs House was built in 1888 and designed by Joachim Grassi, an Italian architect who designed many famous buildings such as Wat Niwet Thammaprawat and Bang Pa-in Palace in Ayutthaya during the period of King Rama V.
"The Old Customs House was built in neo-Palladian architecture, the classical style based on symmetry and proportion. It was part of the King's plan to modernise Siam," said our guide Thanat.
Wat Suan Phlu is also famous for the old gingerbread buildings which are decorated with fretwork. The buildings were built in 1934 and won a Conservation Award by the Association of Siamese Architects in 2002. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
The grand building was once a one-stop service for foreign trading ships, he said, adding that it housed the Customs Department, the Department of Foreign Trade, the Marine Department and the office of the Royal Thai Navy.
The 130-year-old building is rundown after it was rented out as residences for officers of the Marine Police Division and later for officers of Bang Rak Fire Station. In 2005, the real-estate consortium Natural Park, which was later renamed as U City, won a 30-year concession to renovate the site to be a luxurious resort, but so far the 3 billion baht project has not yet kicked off.
Most of the space in front of the Old Customs House today is used as a parking lot for those who visit the French embassy.
The Bangkok Folk's Museum displays the personal collection of the Suravadi family. Most of the displayed items are collected from the period of 1937 to 1957. Among them are a collection of wine glasses from Europe, a piano with ivory keyboard, ceramic bowls, board games, kitchenware, old Buddha images and amulets. The museum also has the early ID card which came in a format of a folding pocketbook and old land title deeds. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Our last stop was the Bangkok Folk Museum, also known as the Bangkokian Museum, on Soi Charoen Krung 43. It was a house of the late biologist Assoc Prof Waraporn Suravadi, who turned her property into the museum. She donated it to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in 2003.
Nested in a lush green garden, the museum displays private collections of her family in the three wooden houses. It is a popular site from which to get a glimpse of the life of a middle-income family in Bangkok in the early 20th century.
The museum can also be a good starting point for exploring Bang Rak, as it has an exhibition to tell you the history of the area as well as a map to help you explore one of the storied and historical districts of Bangkok.
TRAVEL INFO
Bring yourself to Bang Rak
- Bangkok Post Published: 16/05/2019 at 04:00 AM
"Bang Rak has been home to multicultural groups of people. They are those who have different beliefs, ranging from Buddhism to Taoism, Christianity and Islam," said Thanat Bhumarush, a tourist officer of the Bangkok Tourism Division of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. He was the guide who led our Bang Rak walking tour, hosted recently by KTC's PR Press Club.
The area was a large port and a trading hub since the early Rattanakosin era. Charoen Krung Road used to be a canal before being turned into a road in 1862, during the reign of King Rama IV.
People called it different names. Westerners, who requested the road for riding horse-drawn carriages for fresh air, called it New Road. Chinese immigrants called it Xing Pa Lo, meaning the New Road, while Thai people called it Thanon Tok, meaning the Street Falls, into Chao Phraya River, because the street ended on the bank of the river. King Rama IV officially named it Charoen Krung Road in 1868.
"Some people may misunderstand that Charoen Krung was the first road of the Kingdom, but the first road was Thanon Trong, which is Rama IV Road today. The street turns 160 years old this year," he said, adding that Thanon Trong was constructed about four years before Charoen Krung Road.
A carved dragon guards the golden name plate of the Deities of 108 Brothers. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Our first stop to explore Bang Rak started at the Chinese shrine next to BTS Saphan Taksin. Called Bang Rak Shrine or Chiao Eng Biao in Hainan dialect, the shrine was built during the period of King Rama IV to honour 108 Chinese traders who were killed in Vietnam because they were mistaken for pirates.
"They were honest and good men, so people honoured them as deities. Instead of making 108 statutes for them, they made a wooden nameplate with Chinese characters depicting the words of the Deities of 108 Brothers. The shrine was built for the deities in Bangkok and another one in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam," he said.
As a result, the Bang Rak Shrine does not have a sculpture of a Chinese god or goddess as the principal deity but has a nameplate representing the most important deity of the shrine. People believe the Deities of 108 Brothers can grant them good business and wealth.
"The way to pay respect to Chinese gods in any Chinese shrine is to first worship the principal god, who is always placed in the centre. The next step is to pay homage to another deity on your right and then on your left," he said.
Imam Thanarat Watcharapisud in the main prayer hall of Haroon Mosque. The walls show carved Arabic letters painted in a golden colour. The verse is a teaching from the Koran. Above him is the green ceiling lantern given to the mosque by King Rama V. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
We continued our journey to Wat Suan Phlu, about 500m away on Soi Charoen Krung 42/1. The temple was built in the Ayutthaya period and was renovated in the reign of King Rama I.
"The name of Wat Suan Phlu came from the location, which was surrounded by farms of betel [phlu] in the past," he said.
It is a long tradition that after the king ascended to the throne, he would make great merit for the Kingdom, such as renovating old temples. After the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, King Rama I became the first king of the Rattanakosin Era. He renovated some old temples in the capital. He also collected old Buddha images from abandoned temples in the central and northern regions, donating Buddha images to the renovated temples in Bangkok. The collection totalled 1,248 Buddha images, and a large number of them have been placed around the ordination hall of Wat Pho to this day, he said.
"It is believed that the seated Buddha image in Wat Suan Phlu was taken from a ruined temple in the Sukhothai Kingdom, because the sculpture shows the beautiful arts of Sukhothai," he said. The image is housed in the ordination hall. When you are inside the hall, which was renovated again in 1967, you may forget that you are in one of the crowded areas of Bangkok, as traffic noise seems to be far away.
The European-style building of the Old Customs House has the royal seal of King Rama V on the top. Today the building is closed to the public. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
A short walk from the temple to Soi Charoen Krung 40, you will see the elegant Roman Catholic Assumption Cathedral. The 210-year-old church is located in the compound of Assumption Convent College. However, it is closed due to renovation.
Our trip went further north to the two-century-old Muslim community in Soi Charoen Krung 36. While we were at the Haroon Mosque, we heard the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer.
Within 10 minutes the main prayer hall was almost filled with Muslim men and boys, while women and girls sat in a separate zone on a spacious balcony.
During the Ramadan, only a few street food stalls in the Haroon community are open during daytime. One of them is this roti-mataba shop. The mataba (stuffed roti) has three choices of fillings including chicken, beef or sweets. The sweet-filled mataba is stuffed with ripe banana, candied gourd, raisin and egg. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
During Ramadan or the month of fasting, more people come to the mosque to worship God, as they believe making merit during the month is greater than other months, said Imam Thanarat Watcharapisud. During other times of day, men and boys also come to the masjid to read the Koran.
The Muslim neighbourhood is an old community in Bangkok. Their ancestors were merchants who immigrated from Indonesia during the reign of King Rama III. They built a small teakwood masjid in 1828. Haroon Bafaden was the first Imam, and the mosque was named after him. During the period of King Rama V, the mosque was relocated about 500m from the bank of the river because the King decided to build a custom house near the pier where the mosque was located. A bigger piece of land was provided to the community. The present mosque is a two-storey structure which has welcomed not only locals but Islamic expats and foreign visitors to join the prayer.
This seated image of Buddha is one of the sacred images in Wat Suan Phlu. The sculpture sits next to the entrance of the prayer hall behind the ordination hall. Locals believe that the Buddha image protected them from air raids from Japanese aircraft during World War II. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
"We provide food for free during the Ramadan. Everyone who is Muslim or not can come to us and enjoy the food," said Imam Thanarat.
A short walk from the mosque is Bangkok's first custom house, known as sunlaka sathan in Thai. It is located next to the riverside French embassy. The three-storey building of the Old Customs House was built in 1888 and designed by Joachim Grassi, an Italian architect who designed many famous buildings such as Wat Niwet Thammaprawat and Bang Pa-in Palace in Ayutthaya during the period of King Rama V.
"The Old Customs House was built in neo-Palladian architecture, the classical style based on symmetry and proportion. It was part of the King's plan to modernise Siam," said our guide Thanat.
Wat Suan Phlu is also famous for the old gingerbread buildings which are decorated with fretwork. The buildings were built in 1934 and won a Conservation Award by the Association of Siamese Architects in 2002. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
The grand building was once a one-stop service for foreign trading ships, he said, adding that it housed the Customs Department, the Department of Foreign Trade, the Marine Department and the office of the Royal Thai Navy.
The 130-year-old building is rundown after it was rented out as residences for officers of the Marine Police Division and later for officers of Bang Rak Fire Station. In 2005, the real-estate consortium Natural Park, which was later renamed as U City, won a 30-year concession to renovate the site to be a luxurious resort, but so far the 3 billion baht project has not yet kicked off.
Most of the space in front of the Old Customs House today is used as a parking lot for those who visit the French embassy.
The Bangkok Folk's Museum displays the personal collection of the Suravadi family. Most of the displayed items are collected from the period of 1937 to 1957. Among them are a collection of wine glasses from Europe, a piano with ivory keyboard, ceramic bowls, board games, kitchenware, old Buddha images and amulets. The museum also has the early ID card which came in a format of a folding pocketbook and old land title deeds. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
Our last stop was the Bangkok Folk Museum, also known as the Bangkokian Museum, on Soi Charoen Krung 43. It was a house of the late biologist Assoc Prof Waraporn Suravadi, who turned her property into the museum. She donated it to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in 2003.
Nested in a lush green garden, the museum displays private collections of her family in the three wooden houses. It is a popular site from which to get a glimpse of the life of a middle-income family in Bangkok in the early 20th century.
The museum can also be a good starting point for exploring Bang Rak, as it has an exhibition to tell you the history of the area as well as a map to help you explore one of the storied and historical districts of Bangkok.
TRAVEL INFO
- The most convenient way to go to Bang Rak is to take the BTS to Saphan Taksin.
- Bang Rak Shrine and Wat Suan Phlu are open daily.
- The Bangkok Folk Museum is open from 10am-4pm from Wednesday until Sunday. Admission is free.
- For more information about tourism in Bang Rak, visit the website of the Tourism Division of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration at bangkoktourist.com.
Don Mueang-Betong flights planned
New airport scheduled to open in Yala next June
The flight between Don Mueang and Betong would take 1 hour and 40 minutes and would mainly serve the tourism sector in the South, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
The new airport may also serve regional flights to and from neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore as many tourists from those countries might take direct flights to Betong, he said.
The department is in the process of seeking certification for the operation, management and air navigation safety zone for the public airport, on which construction is almost complete.
The cabinet in 2015 approved a proposal to build the airport in Betong to help ease difficulties faced by visitors travelling to the south of the country. It was also seen as another way to help develop the troubled border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
Construction began in 2016 and it is now more than 85% complete, with a total cost estmated at 1.9 billion baht. Work is expected to be finished in September with to begin operations in June next year.
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Co has begun preparing to install air traffic control equipment and train tower staff, the minister said.
The Meteorological Department also plans to install equipment to assist with air navigation in May next year when the tower is cpmpleted, he added.
The Department of Rural Roads, meanwhile, has begun building an 850-metre long road between Highway 4326 and the new airport, which is expected to be completed in July.
The expansion of a section of the road from the Betong city centre to the Yarom intersection, from two lanes to four, will cater to extra traffic created by those travelling between the new airport and the city centre.
New airport scheduled to open in Yala next June
- Bangkok Post Published: 18/05/2019 at 07:27
The flight between Don Mueang and Betong would take 1 hour and 40 minutes and would mainly serve the tourism sector in the South, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
The new airport may also serve regional flights to and from neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore as many tourists from those countries might take direct flights to Betong, he said.
The department is in the process of seeking certification for the operation, management and air navigation safety zone for the public airport, on which construction is almost complete.
The cabinet in 2015 approved a proposal to build the airport in Betong to help ease difficulties faced by visitors travelling to the south of the country. It was also seen as another way to help develop the troubled border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
Construction began in 2016 and it is now more than 85% complete, with a total cost estmated at 1.9 billion baht. Work is expected to be finished in September with to begin operations in June next year.
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Co has begun preparing to install air traffic control equipment and train tower staff, the minister said.
The Meteorological Department also plans to install equipment to assist with air navigation in May next year when the tower is cpmpleted, he added.
The Department of Rural Roads, meanwhile, has begun building an 850-metre long road between Highway 4326 and the new airport, which is expected to be completed in July.
The expansion of a section of the road from the Betong city centre to the Yarom intersection, from two lanes to four, will cater to extra traffic created by those travelling between the new airport and the city centre.
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