Published on Dec 30, 2005

More than 20 representatives of the physically disabled submitted a letter to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday, telling him facilities for the disabled and elderly at the new Survanarbhumi International Airport were either lacking or substandard.

After visiting the airport last Tuesday, representatives of the disabled said they found that a main door was not automatic and had to be opened manually; that the seat of a toilet for the disabled was too high; and that there was no designated rest area for the disabled.

“Many spots are accident-prone, especially because of the slippery floor. And the passage from the passport control booth to the hall has no rest areas,” said Torpong Kulkhanchit, head of the Disabled People’s Institution in the Asia Pacific Region.

He added that claims by airport administrators that the facilities met international standards indicated that “they had tried to avoid involving disabled people in checking that the facilities would be useable and accessible.”

He urged Thaksin to set up a committee including representatives of the disabled to supervise the suitability of the facilities before the new airport opens next year.

The Nation