国际英语新闻:Thai PM floats idea of moving capital to prevent overcrowding

BANGKOK, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Wednesday that moving the capital is a possibility to prevent overcrowding.

At a seminar entitled "Connecting Thailand with the World" in Bangkok, Prayut cited two possibilities in moving the capital.

"The first is to find a city that's neither too far nor too expensive to move to," said Prayut. "The second is to de-centralize the urban area to outer Bangkok to reduce crowding."

Prayut said that the second approach could contribute to Bangkok preserving its key landmarks, while the government and business facilities could be relocated to the city's perimeter.

The second approach would reduce the need for so many people to travel in and out of the city center, thus easing traffic jams, said Prayut.

Moving the capital is just an idea and would require extensive research as to the economic and social impacts but it is a possibility under his administration, Prayut said.

"The Past governments were never able to pull this off, fearing it would cause irreparable conflict in society," Prayut said. "The first priority now is to establish mutual understanding among the people to ensure that the people and the government agree to similar issues."