<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> Hi all...The following was published today in the Bangkok Post...Hope it really materialises....Sunny   Democrats declare five policy priorities Speeding up rapid bus project among them Source: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/25Jul2006_news04.php">http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/25Jul2006_news04.php</a>  The Democrats yesterday vowed to implement five policy priorities for city development, including the sluggish bus rapid transit (BRT) project. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin, who is also a deputy Democrat party leader, said the four other policies were a free and comprehensive fundamental education for Bangkok children, outreach healthcare services for families and communities, the promotion of the sufficiency economy concept and enhancing the city environment. Mr Apirak was holding a press conference together with Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. Mr Abhisit said traffic would continue to be the top priority of the city administration under the Democrats. He said the party would ensure that three extended routes of the electric rail transit systems and the BRT project materialised. The BRT will help feed passengers to the three new rail transit systems _ the extensions from the existing skytrain system _ the Onnuj and Soi Baring (Sukhumvit 107), Mor Chit and Kasetsart University, and Taksin to Thon Buri routes. "We hope the government will listen to the voices of Bangkok residents. City voters voted for us because they want to see the progress of our transport projects. "We've tried to seek the government's support for the BRT project several times, but without success. The government should not let political interests get in the way of the project," said the Bangkok governor. The BRT project was initially approved in late-2003 by the Committee for Management of Land Traffic chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It was expected to be implemented from 2004 to 2006. However, Mr Abhisit said the Transport Ministry refused to issue a licence for buses to operate under the BRT project. The licence is limited to buses under the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). Mr Apirak said the city administration had sent letters inquiring after the progress of the Thaksin government on the BRT project several times. In response, the caretaker government told the agency to wait for the new national government to be formed, he said. "As a major winner in the City Council elections, we have the mandate to push for those projects," said the governor. He also said the city administration would seek approval for three rail transit systems out of the fiscal 2007 budget from the new City Council at its first meeting. </body> </html>