THAI RAILWAY WORKERS GO ON STRIKE

By D.Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, June 22 (Bernama) -- Thousands of passengers were stranded across
Thailand on Monday after railway workers went on strike to oppose the
government's plan to restructure the debt-ridden State Railway of Thailand.

In the southern border city of Hatyai, passengers taking the
Bangkok-Butterworth train were transferred into buses before continuing their
journey to the Thai capital and Butterworth, Penang.

Butterworth is the principal town of Province Wellesley (Malay: Seberang
Perai) in the northern state of Penang in Peninsular Malaysia.

Southern rail traffic control chief Thanongsak Pongprasert said all trains
operating in the four southern provinces had ceased operation until further
notice due to the strike.

"We normally operate about 20 trains in the south, including those going to
Sungai Golok. The strike will affect about 10,000 passengers, including those
going to Butterworth and Bangkok," he said when contacted in Hatyai.


The SRT's worker's union chief, Sawit Kaewwarn, announced Monday that the
strike would go on until the government cancels its decision to split the agency
into two.

SRT operates about 145 services throughout the country, mainly from the
Hualampong station in the capital, carrying about 50,000 passengers a day.

On June 3, the Thai Cabinet approved a restructuring plan to split SRT into
two companies, with one providing rail services and the other running its
assets.

According to reports, the SRT, which was set up in 1951, never registered
profit and its current debts total 69 billion baht.

-- BERNAMA