Thailand PM hints at shifting capital

BANGKOK: Thailand could be the next nation in south-east Asia to relocate its capital after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hinted such a move could be a “possibility” under his government.

Taking inspiration from neighbouring Myanmar and similar plans being formulated in Indonesia, the Thai prime minister suggested that relocating the capital could help Bangkok overcome its mounting urban challenges.

Like Jakarta, Bangkok is beset by overcrowding, pollution, rising sea levels and heavy traffic congestion.

During an address at the Connecting Thailand with the World Conference on 18 September, the retired army general floated two options for a potential move. “The first is to find a city that’s neither too far nor too expensive to move to,” he said, “The second is to move to outer Bangkok to reduce crowding.”

The Thai prime minister suggested that moving the government to the outskirts of Bangkok could help ease traffic flows and reduce the need to commute in and out of the city centre.

Comprehensive research and studies into the social and economic impacts of such a move would be required, he added, but noted that such a move could be a “possibility” under his government.

The suggestion comes weeks after Indonesian president Joko Widodo announced the administrative capital would be moved from beleaguered Jakarta to East Kalimantan, or Indonesian Borneo.