"Sukhumbhand" starts second-term Bangkok governor

BANGKOK, March 29 (TNA) - M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has officially started his second four-year tenure as the Bangkok Governor, two day after the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) initially resolved 4:1 to endorse his victory in the March 3 gubernatorial election, pending its probes on electoral complaints against him. M.R. Sukhumbhand of the main opposition Democrat Party was welcomed by executives and officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), led by City Clerk Ninnart Chalitanon, after his arrival at the BMA headquarters. As the EC is legally required to officially endorse results of an election within 30 days of its polling date, the election agency, thus, announced its endorsement of M.R. Sukhumbhand as the 16th Bangkok Governor on March 27, pending its investigation into at least four complaints on electoral irregularities against him. Should the EC find evidence of any electoral fraud as petitioned, it would forward the case for a judicial verdict on whether a new gubernatorial election would be organized. Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Anond Snidvongs, Executive Director of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, suggested that Bangkok's urgent problems include seasonal weather fluctuations and a need to improve city planning and systematic management. Dr. Anond said he foresees the sea level in the Gulf of Thailand to keep rising by 30-40 centimeters over the next 20-50 years and land to be subsiding by 60 centimeters over the next 30 years, with many areas having been below the mean sea level already, urging quick solutions by parties concerned to protect people. (TNA)