New Bangkok Governor has Big Plans

By THE IRRAWADDY

The new Bangkok governor, the ruling Democrat Party’s Sukhumbhand Paribatra, plans to put Bangkok on the world map of great cities.

Sukhumbhand swept to victory with 920,980 votes compared to his rival Yuranunt Pamormontri of the Puea Thai Party with 603,414 votes.

“Bangkok’s problems, particularly the economic ones, can’t wait,” Sukhumbhand said on Sunday night. “I will try to ease the suffering of city residents by turning around the city’s economy.”

The former deputy foreign minister stressed that he would push Bangkok’s electric rail project.

Kavi Chongkittavorn, a senior editor at The Nation newspaper, wrote ahead of the election that Sukhumbhand, unlike his rivals, had a vision for Bangkok’s future.

“Judging from his numerous policy pronouncements, MR Sukhumbhand differs from the other candidates in that he has formulated comprehensive and integrated plans not only to transform Bangkok into one of the world's greatest cities but also to uplift the estimated 2,000 communities within the metropolitan area,” he wrote.

“In addition, he has action plans to rehabilitate Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. It will be hard to bring back the good old days of the ‘Venice of the East,’ but he wants to improve the water quality and overall hygiene of the river, making waterways, as in old Bangkok, part of the commuting life of the city.”

The election commission said voter turnout in the governor’s race, at 51 percent, was lower than the last election’s 58 percent. There are 4,150,103 eligible voters in Bangkok, which has a population of around 9 million.

As the former deputy foreign minister, Sukhumbhand Paribatra helped negotiate a hostage release when Burmese dissidents stormed the Burmese embassy in Bangkok in 1999. He flew with the hostage takers to the Thai-Burmese border in exchange for the hostages’ freedom. The drama ended without bloodshed.

Sukhumbhand Paribatra has also been a strong critic of the military regime in Burma.
The Democrat Party-led coalition won 20 of the 29 House seats in the by-elections, giving it a stronger position in Parliament.