The former head of the company that operates Bangkok's troubled new airport has quit with a parting shot at authorities, saying the hub was opened too early last year despite his warnings.

"At that time, I thought Suvarnabhumi was not ready to open," Chotisak Asapaviriya said after handing in his resignation to the 14-member board of Airports of Thailand.

The board, appointed by Thailand's junta following a September (2006) coup that ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, accepted Chotisak's resignation and, in a related move, sacked the airport's manager on Feb. 1.

The glitzy US$3 billion Suvarnabhumi - "Golden Land" in Thai - was one of Thaksin's pet projects and was supposed to be a gleaming symbol of modern Thailand.

But it has been mired by problems since opening last September, including 100 cracks on runways and taxiways, corruption claims, inadequate toilets and complaints about hygiene.

Chotisak said he had urged the Thaksin government not to rush into opening the airport and told aviation authorities they should gradually shift operations to Suvarnabhumi from Bangkok's old Don Muang airport.

"I asked them to partially move operations to the new airport as I suspected the total opening at one time could cause many problems," he said.

Chotisak resigned with his contract set to come up for review soon.

He insisted there was no pressure from the head of the AOT board, General Saprang Kalayanamitr, adding he had decided to step down due to health reasons. "I resigned because the stress coming from managing Suvarnabhumi would have serious effects on my health," said Chotisak, 53.

An engineering team that surveyed the cracks on the tarmac said they cover some 97,000 square meters, or 5.3 percent, of the operating area.

"Given the fact that the airport has been open for just four months, the cracks already found were considered a serious problem," said Thiti Paveenchana, a director of the Engineering Council of Thailand.

"We recommended that authorities immediately close the cracked areas for urgent repairs. The process could take up to three to six months."

Meanwhile, AOT board chief Saprang said a 10-year contract with the Thai conglomerate Loxley to manage security may come under review.

"Security is loose," he said. "The system now managed by Loxley is not professional. Security at the new airport is currently not sufficient to cope with the threat of terrorism."

The airport's newly appointed general manager, Serirat Prasutanont, vowed to improve security and safety at Suvarnabhumi on Feb. 2.

"It is the role of the new management and my top priority to improve both of them to improve Suvarnabhumi's image," he said.