Maybe the govt should thank PAD

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat wants a new Government House complex, because he says the current one is too old and may need some serious and expensive restoration. He also thinks that the existing Government House should be turned into a museum and the new one built in a safer location.

"Maybe it's time to change because we will also have a new Parliament," he said.

Somchai, the first Thai PM to not work out of the Government House on Phitsanulok Road, has set up office at Don Mueang Airport.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took over the Government House on August 26 and nobody knows when the protest will end or when they will move. Meanwhile, the condition of the complex is deteriorating and once they leave it will take at least a year to restore the place.

Besides, the existing government seat is old and too small to accommodate the many officials, whose numbers are always rising. In fact, there's a battle for the best rooms every time a Cabinet is reshuffled, with bigger and nicer rooms immediately being reserved by ministers.

All buildings in the Government House compound come under the jurisdiction of the Fine Arts Department, so renovation or expansion also involves too much red-tape and restrictions.

Actually, the idea of renovating the Government House emerged while Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was in power and then when Thaksin Shinawatra took over. However, neither government could do much due to the many restrictions. It was only when PAD besieged the place that the government started thinking about getting a new one.

"It's impossible to restore the buildings to their original condition after the PAD's occupation. It will be costly because most of the buildings are art works. That's why we need to build a new one," a government source said.

The government is planning to set up offices near the new Parliament, which will be built in Kiek Kai area.

"We have looked at some military areas such as the Ordnance Department in Bang Sue or the Army's Support Services Department in Bang Son," the source said, adding however, that the move may not be easy because plans for a new Parliament was opposed by the public.

piyanart@nationgroup.com