RAIL-LINK LAUNCH NOT DELAYED BY PHEU THAI COMPLAINTS, SAYS SRT

       The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is insisting the launch of the airport-link service will not be delayed by the opposition Pheu Thai Party's complaints about the premier and the interior minister allowing conflicts of interest in the project.
       Suphoth Sublom, an SRT board director, said yesterday the project had made a lot of progress and the civil construction work was complete. The SRT is expected to officially start testing the system on December 5, which will run for three months. The service will be officially launched in April.
       On Monday, a Pheu Thai MP filed a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission saying that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul had allowed conflicts of interest in the project because Chaovarat's family members held shares in a construction company.
       Pheu Thai's Lamphun MP Sanguan Pongmanee and the party's spokesman Prompong Nopparit claimed that Chaovarat's wife and children held shares in Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, which won the Bt408-million project contract for adding more trimmings to the rail link. The Cabinet had approved the budget on March 10.
       Chaovarat, also leader of Bhum Jai Thai Party, argued he had already declared his assets and has had nothing to do with the company for a long time now.
       Moreover, he said, since Sino-Thai was a public company, anybody could buy its shares and as his children were all adults, they could do what they wanted with their money.
       On March 10, the Cabinet approved the Transport Ministry's request for an additional Bt115 million to hire a consultant to supervise the construction of elevated paths linking the Phya Thai Skytrain station and the Petchaburi subway station to the airport-rail link at Makkasan. This is part of the connection between airport-rail link and the SRT transportation system in the city.
       It also approved Bt11 million and Bt87 million for the construction of the paths from Phya Thai station and Petchaburi subway station respectively.
       The government will cover the cost of the construction, which should be completed in 15 months.
       The Cabinet also approved the expenditure of Bt195 million for the services of an independent safety and system certification engineer for three years. The government will be responsible for this cost as well.
       The Cabinet has acknowledged the relocation of public facilities near the airport-rail link, which would cost Bt140 million. The Metropolitan Water Works Authority and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority each will be responsible for relocation costs of Bt83 million and Bt57 million, respectively.