Maximum benefit set for development of MCOT property

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - MCOT Public Company Limited (MCOT) plans to develop the company's property for the maximum benefit of the public and the nation in terms of both the economic and the social criteria within the strategic framework of national economic and social development plans. MCOT President Kematat Paladesh declared the stance while chairing a public forum at a hotel in Bangkok on Wednesday to listen to opinions of stakeholders, the second of its kind, as part of the company's ongoing feasibility study on the planned development of two plots of land with their combined areas of 70 rai (2.5 rai = 1 acre), located in the vicinity of the MCOT head office on Rama IX Road in the capital. Kematat said to cope and keep pace with the fast changing situation, MCOT wants to create more value-added assets from the two plots of land as they are located in a potential zone in Bangkok that easily connects with public transport systems, including orange-route and blue-route electric train services, and is near the Thailand Cultural Center, the Chinese Embassy and the Korean Embassy to Thailand, as well as the head office of the Government Housing Bank (GHB) and a large shopping complex. According to the MCOT president, the Research and Consultancy Institute of Thammasat University (TU) has been assigned to work out the feasibility study on the MCOT property development plan, with the opinions of the stakeholders from the two public forums to be taken into consideration, and to submit its study report to MCOT by the end of this month so that the company will forward the feasibility study report to the State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO), under the Ministry of Finance, and the Thai Cabinet for their further consideration and a final approval. The MCOT president acknowledged once getting the final approval, MCOT will speed up implementing the property development plan based on a new bill that facilitate joint public-private investment projects. MCOT is a most established Thai media firm, running MCOT digital TV stations, MCOT Radio Networks and Thai New Agency (TNA). (TNA)