Bangkok airport goes to the dogs

BANGKOK (AFP): The authorities at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport said today that they had launched a drive to ensure that stray dogs that have made their home next to the runways don’t end up straying onto the tarmac. The dogs have taken up residence on the golf course next to the airport, where they thrive on scraps from the clubhouse and handouts from soft-hearted airport workers. The alarm was raised at the end of June by inspectors from the Transport and Communications Ministry who found three stray dogs lurking around the nearby Police Aviation Division airstrip. “There was no fence to prevent stray dogs from running into the airside area or onto runways. This might have caused an accident during a takeoff or landing,” the ministry noted in an official memorandum. Airport director Pradit Mongkolapibarn said that measures are to be taken to prevent the dogs from straying onto the runway and other secure “airside” areas. In particular, maintenance will be stepped up on the runways’ perimeter fence, which has fallen into disrepair. In addition, ground staff have been instructed to check the tarmac thoroughly before it is used. The Airports Authority of Thailand has requested neighboring organizations not to keep or feed stray dogs on airport premises.