Airport says runway subsidence 'just wear and tear'

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SUVARNABHUMI

Airport says runway subsidence 'just wear and tear'

Published: 7 Jul 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Somchai Sawasdeepon is insisting Thursday's subsidence on the western runway was caused by normal wear and tear.

An aircraft touches down at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday after repairs to an area on the western runway that subsided on Thursday night. During the repairs, hundreds of flights were delayed and 11 diverted. TAWEECHAI TAWATPAKORN

But airline managers yesterday questioned if the airfield had been built with proper civil engineering techniques and high-standard construction materials.

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aussie
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Discussion 39 : 07 Jul 2012 at 18.1339
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Yeah mai pen rai , only a minor little pothole ?
Wasn`t there cracks after 2 years operation and an "investigation" into what grade of concreate was paid for and exactly what grade of concreate was actually delivered and poured ?
Add that one to your long list of achievements takki , NOT ?
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davidh
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Discussion 38 : 07 Jul 2012 at 16.3838
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It's difficult in Thailand because of its history of corruption and incompetency to believe the worst when this sort of defect occurs. Given the climatic conditions of heat and water saturation subsidence is always going to be a risk.

Equally important though is the fact that this relatively minor defect was so quickly spotted and fixed. This shows that regular inspections are taking place.
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soltair
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Discussion 37 : 07 Jul 2012 at 16.2537
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Spicy @ 31 "Corruption took its toll and now it is coming to light" Indeed, the first consortium that was hired to develop this airport was NACO, a consortium from the Netherlands. They walked away after they found that the generals involved had too much to say if you understand what I mean. My company was approached to design the overall security and I am actually glad not to be involved in this greedy mess.
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bkposter
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Discussion 36 : 07 Jul 2012 at 15.5436
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D30 The man was not fired, he was removed as editor (But is still employed to write anti TS political opinions)a crusade that he partakes in weekly. I believe the accusation were proven false when outside engineers were called in to verify that the cracks were indeed normal and not at all uncommon in cement work of a project that size.

BTW, I am not defending TS, I am only stating the obvious here.
I only wonder why they did not pursue this legal case against TS? (lack of evidence?) (does anyone know?) I see accusation after accusation after accusation...are any of them true? why no charges?

RE:D23 the 30 minutes was ample time because the hydraulic epoxy material needed to fill the hole would fit in a standard kitchen mixing bowl and sets instantly. remember this whole is 60 cm x 60 cm x 5 cm.
But a little sensationalism sells newspapers I guess.
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b00tie
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Discussion 35 : 07 Jul 2012 at 15.4235
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waer and tear? how come all other busier airports don't have this shameful 'wear and tear' that caused delays and diversion at all?
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crunchy
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Discussion 34 : 07 Jul 2012 at 14.5634
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guys guys, heres what Thaksin did to the media report because of reporting the real corruption in this airport run away. http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/news/article.asp?parentid=62376

Monday, January 29, 2007
The Press Council of Thailand is planning to discuss possible moves to help two senior Bangkok Post reporters who lost their jobs for exposing the runway cracks at Suvarnabhumi Airport almost two years ago.

Both senior Bangkok Post reporters - Mr Sermsuk was dismissed while Mr Chadin was asked to resign after their report in the Aug 8, 2005 edition drew fierce rebukes from deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and led to defamation charges by the Airports of Thailand (AoT).
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bangna63
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Discussion 33 : 07 Jul 2012 at 14.3233
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Someone once told me the 3 models of corruption, this fits nicely:

1. In the west there is a project (a runway let's say!)and the $1m project gets bumped up to 1.1m to cover the bung. But it is a safe, fully functioning and well planned runway that lasts 50 years.

2. The same project in Asia does actuallyb happen for the $1m but the runway is built with unsuitable and un-skilled contractors whosub everything outshoddy materials and falls apart, eventually causing an accident killing 300 people.

3. In Africa the price is also fixed at the planned $1m but there is simply no runway ever built.

I have worked and lived in all 3 places and it is pretty accurate I would say.
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Silkpit
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Discussion 32 : 07 Jul 2012 at 13.1432
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Working at Don Muang Airport for 16 years and another 5 years at Suvarnabhumi, readers of the BP and other media wouldn't fly ever again out of Bangkok, knowing what sort of problems exist at both airports in terms of safety, security, corruption, negligence, pure ignorance and missmanagment at a level zero to none, apart from the related mafia war of illegal operators of various kind of businesses, in and around the airports.
As it used to be and will be, serving the pockets of the ruling folks in this land and protecting their image at any cost, is more important than anything else.
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spicy
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Discussion 31 : 07 Jul 2012 at 13.0731
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dao Discussion 20:
Spot on. Corruption took its toll and now it is coming to light. Case in point, twenty-three persons, including former premier Thaksin and former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, were implicated in irregularities involving the procurement of the CTX bomb scanners. It has become a member of the cold case file.
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attapon
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Discussion 30 : 07 Jul 2012 at 13.0430
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I remember that during the construction of the airport, reporters of the Bangkok Post had written an article revealing that there were cracks on the runways/taxiways.
At this time, the former Prime Minister Thaksin sued the Bangkok Post and the journalists were fired.
I think that the press is pleased that the "man afar" stay afar.
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