Police-station construction project to go ahead

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: The Royal Thai Police have decided to go ahead with the construction of new police stations across the country.

“The construction should begin in the next 70 days,” Deputy National Police chief General Worapong Chewprecha said yesterday.

He was speaking after he led a meeting to follow up on the project’s first phase, during which 181 police stations will be constructed.

Last year, the Royal Thai Police cancelled a Bt5.4-billion contract with PCC Development and Construction after the firm failed to build the 396 police stations nationwide as contracted on time.

Following the cancellation, construction materials were abandoned at the site and, according to regulations, all these materials are now state property.

Worapong said yesterday that once the Royal Thai Police is given a new budget and has signed a contract with the new contractor, it will file a lawsuit against PCC Development and Construction.

“The damages are well over Bt2 billion as apparently the new budget for the construction is now about Bt8 billion,” he said. He added that the old contractor also needs to pay interest on the amount it had been paid in advance.

— Phuket Gazette Editors