Bangkok governor boosts security measures

BANGKOK, June 2 (TNA) -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) replaces surveillance cameras around royal areas and new facilities have the high resolution of up to 5 million pixels that allow officials to see the licence plates of vehicles clearly. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwangmuang said all roads and bridges in the vicinity of royal areas were covered with such high-technology surveillance cameras. He also said that the BMA was checking the operations of 53,000 surveillance cameras throughout Bangkok. Of the cameras, 38,000 cameras were standalone ones and the BMA would seek a budget to link all such cameras with its control centre at the City Hall as well as all district offices and police stations in Bangkok, Pol Gen Aswin said. Suthon Anakul, director of the BMA’s traffic and transport department, said there were 83 quality cameras around royal areas on Ratchadamnoen Avenue and each cost 40,000-50,000 baht. Besides, 150 new surveillance cameras were installed around Sanam Luang and increased the number of all security cameras there to 233. The government allocated 81 million baht for the additional installation, Mr Suthon said. He commented that the system integration of standalone cameras would cost 3 billion baht and take at least a year. He also assigned Bangkok district officials to ask the operators who handle surveillance cameras at government offices to share their pictures with the BMA. (TNA)