Air Force to give up golf course to Don Mueang for expansion

Jirayu Houngsub, sthe pokesperson for political affairs at the Defence Ministry, said the details of transferring ownership of the Kantarat Golf Course to AOT were being finalised by a special committee headed by him.

He said he had been assigned by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Defence Minister Klungsang to head a panel considering measures for the armed forces to return unused and unnecessary land to the state for public use.

Jirayu said his panel has consulted with RTAF commander-in-chef ACM Phanpakdee Pattanakul, who agreed to hand over the rights to the golf course to the AOT for airport expansion.

Jirayu said his panel was in the process of determining compensation for the RTAF so that it could develop its Thupatemi Golf Course in Pathum Thani with a new sport complex for public use.

In a related development, Jirayu said he had formed a sub-committee to consider calls from the residents and businesses in Sattahip district of Chon Buri, who want the Provincial Electricity Authority to replace the Royal Thai Navy in generating and distributing electricity in the district.

Jirayu said Sattahip was the only district in Thailand in which businesses and families received electricity generated and distributed by the navy, a practice that has lasted for over 80 years.

Sattahip residents were still living under an old security law enacted during the Cold War period that required the navy to generate its own electricity to ensure security for its warships and armament.

But the population of the district has grown, and many businesses, hotels and resorts have sprung up, and they wished to enjoy better services through the Provincial Electricity Authority, Jirayu said.

He said his subcommittee was in the process of considering a balance between national security and the convenience desired by residents, and would study the best way for the PEA to replace the navy in providing electricity for non-military use.