February 18, 2008
BANGKOK - Residents near Suvarnabhumi Airport have threatened to disrupt air traffic by launching fireworks and balloons to protest over a delay in compensation for noise pollution.
Community leaders said they had no choice but to carry out the threat on February 23 after a series of failed talks with Thai aviation authorities and the operator of Suvarnabhumi Airport, the English-language daily Nation said.
"Yes, we are concerned about the possible chaos and ruining of the country's image, but we have no other choice," village leader Somchart Manathamsombat was quoted by the daily as saying.
Bangkok's sparkling Suvarnabhumi international airport opened in September 2006 and is one of Southeast Asia's busiest airports with capacity for 45 million passengers a year.
But residents near the airport, which operates 24 hours a day, complained about sleep deprivation due to noise pollution and demanded the government help pay for the soundproofing of their homes or eventual relocation to other areas, according to AFP.
Aviation authorities started giving residents sleeping pills in an ad hoc attempt to settle the dispute, which only prompted locals to accuse the authorities of being insincere.
Police have warned residents they could face jail if they carry out their threat, the English-language paper Bangkok Post said.
Suvarnabhumi international airport is located 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of Bangkok, and has been plagued by problems ranging from cracks in the runways to complaints about safety and sanitation.
