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Published on January 7, 2008

"The thing is to prevent employees from protesting again," said a source on the SRT board after its first meeting on Friday.

The meeting, which was chaired by Pol Lt-General Charnvuth Vajrabukka, outlined the authority's goals during the transition between governments, the source said.

The board members were appointed by the government only on December 18 and see it as their task to make the public and SRT workers understand how necessary it is for the SRT to change its business structure in the wake of the rehabilitation plan.

The new board believes that the incoming government will continue the policy of improving the railway business.

Some SRT employees disagree with the authority's rehabilitation plan, culminating in a strike which suspended railway operations across the country on October 30 last year, the source said.

The action was initiated by a minority of employees, while the majority received distorted and incomplete information, the source said.

"That's why the SRT board will have to speed up PR work on this," the source said.

The board does not want more strikes, which would not only paralyse the economy but also destroy confidence in the national railway.

The board will discuss at its next meeting the proposed extension of the delivery deadline for the Airport Rail Link, connecting the inner city to Suvarnabhumi Airport, the source said.

However, it will otherwise await directions from the new government.

Watcharapong Thongrung

 The Nation