PM downgrades tourism projects in South

KRABI (The Nation): Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has downgraded some major tourism projects in the South, including the reopening of some small airports, and the construction of a convention center in Phuket.

The announcement came at a meeting between PM Surayud and the governors of the six Andaman provinces held in Krabi yesterday.

The premier is concentrating more on a tsunami-warning system along the Andaman coast and developing more ferry ports to link with islands.

The government has no plans to proceed in the short term with southern mega-projects, including the Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, which won Cabinet approval three times during Thaksin Shinawatra’s era.

PM Surayud and eight ministers also visited Phuket yesterday to inspect the government’s project on Andaman coastal development.