Bkk TruckBlockade called off!

[Ganyc]

Can anyone tell me just how long the lorry strikes in Bangkok will last? I am going for a one-day road trip in Bangkok on 26 June and would be travelling by taxi from Suvarnabhumi to Sukhumvit On Nut Guesthouse at 11.25 pm on 25 June.

[GWR]

Truckers threaten to protest in Bangkok if demands aren't met

BANGKOK, June 16 (TNA) - Truck operators have threatened to launch a major protest by blocking highways leading into the Thai capital if their demands submitted to the government and scheduled for discussion Thursday were not met.

Yu Chianyuenyongpong, chairman of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand, said representatives of his federation would confer with concerned government agencies on Thursday and find out how the government will assist them in dealing with high fuel prices.

Major demands included government assistance in providing truck owners a low interest rate for loans to truck owners which would enable them to convert their truck engines to use alternative energy, allowing them to use oil coupons to buy oil at subsidised prices, and to end bribe extortions by highway police, Mr. Yu said.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Santi Prompat said Thailand was not alone with high oil prices, but the problem is now being faced throughout the world.

Mr. Santi said the government is doing its best to solve the problem for every sector.

In a related development, Energy Minister Poonpirom Liptapanlop said Monday a ministry committee will meet to consider selling diesel fuel at subsidised prices to truckers as local oil prices continue to rise.

Mrs. Poonpirom said transport owners had earlier urged the government to assist them by asking refineries to sell diesel 3 baht cheaper a litre than the retail market price.

The committee is expected to meet later this week, she said, adding that the request has been opposed by some academics.

Chavalit Pichalai, deputy director-general of the Ministry's Energy Policy and Planning Office, said refineries are now selling 30 million litres per month to government-run buses and privately-owned buses which joined the government in offering services in metropolitan Bangkok.

There are about 90 million litres left monthly as refineries plan to help selling oil for six months, starting from June and ending in November.

Meanwhile, energy academic Thienchai Jongpipian said he agreed with the government to provide short-term help to farmers, fishermen and bus operators but he was against the idea of helping truckers because they have already passed on rising fuel costs on their goods and consumers are shouldering the burden. (TNA)

General News : Last Update : 18:31:03 16 June 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4780

[Ganyc]

Why don't the Thai authorities and the truckers come to a compromising solution to mutual advantage and end the protests? The fuel subsidy should be kept at a gradual minimal and fuel conversion to an environment-friendly one should take time and not overnight. If the truckers are blocking highways into Bangkok city centre from the airport, it will surely hit Thai tourism and the economy as a whole. Tourists to the city will be less. Eventually, Thais will not benefit from protests over fuel. I hope the mass protests will not start until after 26 June.

[GWR]

Truckers call off blockade after government agrees to help

BANGKOK, June 19 (TNA) - Thailand's truckers decided Thursday "at the eleventh hour" not to go ahead with their threat to choke traffic in metropolitan Bangkok by halting their rigs and blockading roads leading to the Thai capital after the government at the last minute agreed to respond to their demands for help in response to soaring fuel prices.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport Piyapan Champasut said a meeting was held to discuss how the government could assist truckers.

It was agreed at the meeting that the government would help transport operators install natural gas for vehicles (NGV) modifications in trucks as the state-run PTT Pcl has pledged to open at least 355 natural gas service stations by the end of this year, said Mr. Piyapan.

Demands by members of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand to set up a fund of Bt20 billion, to encourage truck operators to switch to using NGV instead of diesel, allowing the natural gas-powered trucks to pay only 10 per cent tax on annual registration fee and finding low-interest rates for loans will be considered by the finance ministry.

Regarding a major demand asking the government to supply diesel to truckers at less than the retail market price by Bt3 a litre, the Transport Ministry had asked the Federation to determine the exact requirement for diesel on a daily and monthly basis and to ask transport owners whether they would still increase their service fees after receiving subsidised diesel fuel from the government.

Mr. Piyapan said he had asked the Federation to return the required assistance measure information to the Transport Ministry urgently so that it could forward the data to the cabinet for consideration next week.

Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTF) president Yu Jianyuenyongpong said the federation would submit the details of their demands to the Transport Ministry tomorrow and that LTF members were pleased with the government's serious intent in solving their problems. Truckers will not demonstrate in Bangkok tomorrow, as originally planned, Mr. Yu said. (TNA)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4834

[Ganyc]

Thank you for the great news of lorry blockade calling off. Bangkok is suai mak after all. Best wishes to Bangkok from Singapore.