Srisook heads panel to revive

Retired transport permanent secretary Srisook Chand rangsu has been appointed as chairman of the newly established Air Transport Rehabilitation and Development Committee.

He is expected to help rehabilitate the country's aviation industry, which has been adversely affected by the airport seizures and the global financial crisis.

New Transport Minister Sophon Saram said Srisook would work with Thai Airways International, Airports of Thailand and the Civil Aviation Department to boost the image of the Kingdom's aviation. Executives of state enterprises under the ministry's supervision, especially THAI and AOT, will be required to work with the committee.

A ministry source said Srisook would also handle ministry projects still under consideration, including leasing of new THAI aircraft and laying the groundwork for the Bt78-billion phase-II expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Srisook was involved in the planning for phase I of the airport.

Srisook is close to Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who was transport minister under ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Besides serving as transport permanent secretary, he is a former AOT board chairman. He faced Assets Examination Committee scrutiny over controversies involving Suvarnabhumi. Thaksin and Suriya were both implicated in a bomb-scanner purchase scandal at the airport.

Srisook said the committee would consist of the Civil Aviation Department's director-general and representatives from AOT, THAI and private companies. He said the committee had a duty to rehabilitate and develop Thailand's air transport, in order to ensure Thailand's position as an aviation hub.

Sophon said he had assigned Deputy Transport Minister Prajak Kaewklahan to oversee the Rural Roads Department, the Land Transport Department, Transport Co and the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. Deputy Minister Kuakul Danchaiwijit will be in charge of the Marine Department, the Port Authority and Thai Maritime Navigation.

The minister promised to proceed with mega-projects and bring them in on schedule. These include the Purple Line mass-transit system, the leasing of 4,000 natural-gas-for-vehicle buses and road and bridge construction.

He said all of the projects would be run transparently and their budgets would be adjusted in line with the present conditions.

Srisook's panel is one of two new ones established by Sophon, who has also appointed permanent secretary Surachai Thansitthipong to oversee a logistics-development committee aimed at increasing the ratio of rail transport from 10 per cent to 30 per cent within six months.