Pattaya mayor vows to finish football stadium project within two years, additional budget needed

Pattaya —

Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches was determined to finish the football stadium project within two years after it had been sitting mostly idle for 14 years, saying he was preparing to request another 250 million baht budget.

The under-construction “Chaiyaphruek” standard-sized football stadium is located on Soi Chaiyapruek 2 in the Huai Yai subdistrict of Banglamung. The project was bombarded with criticism on Thai and foreign social media after recent pictures of the stadium showed that the place was completely ruined with a shabby amphitheater and construction materials left around the stadium, totally uncared for.

PHOTO: บริษัท โสภณ เคเบิ้ล ที.วี.และสื่อสาร พัทยา จำกัด

The criticism was mostly targeted at new Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches who reportedly pledged during his campaign rally that he would address this issue urgently. According to his recent response, the construction was divided into three phases: 1. between 2008-2010 focusing on the audience’s amphitheater, which finished in 2011.

2. The VIP’s grandstand, which was entrusted to the 1st Army Area to build, however, the construction was stalled after encountering a geographical issue before it was finished in 2014.

3. Later in 2016, the overall construction was around 70% done, but the Pattaya mayor claimed that the project’s contractor ditched the job and never came back to resume the work. As a result, Pattaya City had to seize a 19-million-baht deposit and an 80-million-baht fine from the contractor, plus pressing legal actions.

This was the reason the 775-million-baht project has remained unfinished to this day along with two years of Covid restrictions that also last year restricted almost all construction workers to their camps for eight months, Poramase claimed. To get it done by the 5th Youth Olympic Games in 2026, Poramase added that he would propose spending another 250 million baht to the city council to expedite the project so that it could be fully operational within two years.

“We need to get it done no matter what. But first, I will pursue legal action against those who looted the stadium during the Covid-19 pandemic, setting back a lot of progress. A security guard will be stationed there from now on to thwart looters.” Poramase said in regards to the stolen construction materials.

He also said that he would complete other unfinished projects around the city as well such as the Kraben building, the Koh Larn Windmill project, parking spaces in South Pattaya, the Dancing Fountain, and the public toilets at the Bali Hai pier, etc.

There was no comment made on the infamous Waterfront condo at Bali Hai, which also has a dense backstory you can read here.

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Aim Tanakorn
The local news translator at The Pattaya News. Aim is a twenty-four year old who currently lives in Bangkok. Interested in English translation, story-telling, and entrepreneurship, he believes that hard-working is an indispensable component of every success in this world.