Piles of bus garbage anger Suriya

Mounds of trash found in a parking area behind the Bangkok Bus Terminal, or Mo Chit 2 in Chatuchak district, have infuriated Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who has threatened to revoke public bus operating permits if such incidents recur.
Suphanat Minchaiynunt, the People’s Party MP for Chatuchak, Bang Khen, and Lak Si, raised the problem on Sunday by posting a message on X with a photo of waste stacks taken on Saturday.
 He claimed that the Minister of Transport lacked aptitude for the role and had failed to supervise agencies under the ministry, including the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the landowner and the Department of Land Transport (DLT), to operate efficiently, as garbage piled up on Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road.
Mr Suriya said he had already received a report from the Transport Company and the SRT indicating the incident occurred due to public bus parking in the area. Last weekend was a long holiday, so there were more passengers than normal. In addition, there was a mo lam (Isan folk music) concert organised without permission in the area, which resulted in waste dumping.
He said the rubbish was all collected as of 6pm on Monday. He further directed the Transport Company and SRT to restrict the use of the location and implement measures to prevent similar situations from occurring again.
“If there is a violation, the Department of Land Transport will issue a fine and suspend the operating licence, including revoking the entire concession if necessary,” he said.
The ministry will work with the Royal Thai Police to prohibit all vehicles from parking on Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road, and the road’s curbs will be painted red and white to indicate a no-parking zone. Violators will be penalised in accordance with the traffic law.