Mass transit: 60 million baht for your land? | Bangkok Post: learning

About transportation

To build electric trains some people will lose their land. Rumours swirl about who it will be & possible huge payoffs from govt.

The map of the future East to West Orange Line from Taling Chan to Min Buri which will have 29 stations, 22 underground. It will link eight different lines and will open in 2019.

Click button to listen to Mass Transit Land Expropriation download

TRANSPORT

Orange Line sparks anger in Din Daeng

26 Feb 2013
Nanchanok Wongsamuth & Amornrat Mahitthirook

The planned construction of the Orange Line electric train has spurred local protests in the city's Din Daeng area.

About 200 residents of Soi Pracha Songkhro 21 gathered at the soi yesterday demanding the government scrap the plan.

Residents learned from a public hearing late last month that a station of the Orange Line, which runs from Taling Chan to Min Buri, will be located in their community and result in some land expropriation.

Prasomporn Naksongsaeng, a 60-year-old Pracha Songkhro resident, said she was worried the shophouse she bought 40 years ago which is now worth 1 million baht would soon be demolished to make way for the subway project.

...The community has submitted letters protesting against the station to the prime minister, Bangkok governor candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen, the transport minister and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), the project's operator, but has received no responses.

...about 500 households [are expected] to be affected by the construction.

But another resident, Chanitbhak Atthakornmetha, 29, said a few householders are willing to be relocated as they believe rumours that they will get a huge sum of money as compensation for the land expropriation.

"When I went knocking on people's doors for protest signatures, there was one house where they yelled at people to not sign because they believe the rumour that the MRTA will hand out 10 million baht per [expropriated] plot," she said.

There have been rumours that one building owner has already received 60 million baht from the government, but it was not true, Ms Chanitbhak said...

...Yongsit Rojsrikul, MRTA governor, said the project is still in its early stages, with public hearings being organised to better inform locals about the impact of the Orange Line.

The next hearing will be held next month.

The route has been part of the city's mass transit master plan since 1997 but its details, including the locations of stations, were not drawn up until 2010.

As a result, some residents mistakenly thought the route had been changed recently...

...He said the plan is for Pracha Songkhro to have an Orange Line station to link to the Thailand Cultural Centre station, and for Ratchaprarop area to have a station to link to the Airport Link rail route.

(Source: Bangkok Post, TRANSPORT, Orange Line sparks anger in Din Daeng, 26 Feb 2013, Nanchanok Wongsamuth & Amornrat Mahitthirook, link)


Land Expropriation for Mass Transit Vocabulary

expropriate (verb) - take away (to take something away from the owner of that thing) 
expropriation (noun) - the act of taking something away from someone การเวนคืน 
government expropropriation - (the expropriation Act: พระราชบัญญัติเวนคืนที่ดิน) 

land expropriation - taking land away the owner of the land (for something the government is building for public use)

eminent domain - the power to take private property for public use by the state following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property; the most common uses of property taken by eminent domain are for government buildings and other facilities, public utilities, highways, and railroads or public safety (See Wikipedia)

transport - to move people or things from one place to another ขนส่ง
public transport

mass - masses มวลชน  large numbers จำนวนมหาศาล
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
mass transit - public transport (See Wikipedia)

route - the way that planes, buses, trains, or ships travel regularly เส้นทางของรถ เรือ เครื่องบิน,etc.
the route had been changed recently...

line - Same as "route"
the orange line

master plan - a long term high-level plan for a project (that controls all lower level plans)
mass transit master plan - also called "mass rapid transit master plan" (See Wikipedia)

draw up - write or compose (an official document or plan)
draw up a plan

the details of a plan
draw up the details of a plan

The route has been part of the city's mass transit master plan since 1997 but its details, including the locations of stations, were not drawn up until 2010.

spark - to cause something to happen, to make something happen
sparks anger - to make people angry
Orange Line sparks anger in Din Daeng

construction - the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. การก่อสร้าง
planned construction 
the planned construction of the Orange Line electric train

local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
protests - meetings, sometimes forceful or violent, or public statements by people who strongly disagree with something ชุมนุมประท้วง
local protests

spurred - caused ก่อให้เกิด
spurred local protests

The planned construction of the Orange Line electric train has spurred local protests in the city's Din Daeng area.

scrap - to get rid of; to stop using or accepting เลิก, ทิ้ง
scrap the plan

residents - people who live in a particular place or area ผู้อยู่อาศัย ชาวบ้านในบริเวณ ผู้อาศัยในบริเวณ ราษฎรในบริเวณนั้น

About 200 residents of Soi Pracha Songkhro 21 gathered at the soi yesterday demanding the government scrap the plan.

station - a place where some activity takes place (for example: power station, police station, fire station, space station, way station)
train station
light rail station
mass transit station

runs from X to Y - goes from X to Y

community - local people, all the people who live in a local area or place ชุมชน
located in their community
a light rail station will be located in their community

Residents learned from a public hearing late last month that a station of the Orange Line, which runs from Taling Chan to Min Buri, will be located in their community and result in some land expropriation.

resident - a person who lives in a particular area ผู้พักอาศัย, ผู้อยู่อาศัยในบริเวณ ประชาชนที่อาศัยในท้องที่
a 60-year-old resident

subway - a railway under the ground, traveling around a city รถไฟใต้ดิน

make way for - move things so that something can be built or happen  หลบเข้าด้านข้าง
make way for the subway project

demolished - destroy completely ทำลายให้สิ้นซาก
demolished to make way for the subway project

shophouse - the three or more story buildings (built next to each and touching each other) seen on every Bangkok soi ห้องแถว; ตึกแถว
the shophouse would soon be demolished to make way for the subway project

Prasomporn Naksongsaeng, a 60-year-old Pracha Songkhro resident, said she was worried the shophouse she bought 40 years ago which is now worth 1 million baht would soon be demolished to make way for the subway project.

submitted - formally given to someone so that they can make a decision about it ยื่น  ยื่นเอกสารเพื่อการพิจารณา
submitted letters of protest

candidate - a person who is trying to win an elected position ผู้สมัคร
Bangkok governor candidate

...The community has submitted letters protesting against the station to the prime minister, Bangkok governor candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen, the transport minister and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), the project's operator, but has received no responses.

households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)
householders - the heads of families (who make the decisions for a family) 

expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
expected to be affected

...about 500 households [are expected] to be affected by the construction.

a few householders are willing to be relocated
relocated - moved to a new place

rumours - a story that passes from person to person so that a lot of people are talking about it (may or may not be true)
believe rumours

get a huge sum of money as compensation for the land expropriation.

sum - an amount of something, especially money จำนวนเงิน
sum of money
a huge sum of money

compensation - money paid for some loss; money paid for harm or damage done to someone เงินชดเชย  การจ่า่ยเงินชดเชย
get a huge sum of money as compensation for the land expropriation

But another resident, Chanitbhak Atthakornmetha, 29, said a few householders are willing to be relocated as they believe rumours that they will get a huge sum of money as compensation for the land expropriation.

protest - a strong complaint or disagreement ประท้วง
protest signatures

knocking on people's doors
knocking on people's doors for protest signatures

yell
yelled at people
they yelled at people to not sign

rumour - a piece of information or claim that passes from person to person (word-of-mouth) without evidence to prove it ข่าวลือ (See Wikipedia)

plot - a piece of land used for a particular purpose
expropriated plot

"When I went knocking on people's doors for protest signatures, there was one house where they yelled at people to not sign because they believe the rumour that the MRTA will hand out 10 million baht per [expropriated] plot," she said.

There have been rumours that one building owner has already received 60 million baht from the government, but it was not true, Ms Chanitbhak said...

hearings - an official meeting to collect facts about a situation or problem
public hearings - an official meeting which the public (every person) can come to and listen at

impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ

the impact of the Orange Line
the impact of the Orange Line on the community

inform - tell people about what happened, report new information to people who don't know about it yet
locals - people who live in a particular place ชาวบ้าน

inform locals
inform locals about the impact of the Orange Line.

...Yongsit Rojsrikul, MRTA governor, said the project is still in its early stages, with public hearings being organised to better inform locals about the impact of the Orange Line.

The next hearing will be held next month.

mistakenly - อย่างไม่เหมาะสม
mistakenly thought

As a result, some residents mistakenly thought the route had been changed recently...

link - to connect เชื่อม

...He said the plan is for Pracha Songkhro to have an Orange Line station to link to the Thailand Cultural Centre station, and for Ratchaprarop area to have a station to link to the Airport Link rail route.

Tell us what you think about this article

Like dislike 1 people liked / 0 people disliked it

Share this article

0

0

• More +

• Republishing permission
• Print this

Bangkok Post online classifieds

Try buying & selling goods and properties 24/7 in our classifieds which has high purchasing power local & expatriate audience from within Thailand and around the world.