New public park in Bangkok to open after removal of 2 squatters

A new public park in Bangkok is opening soon. The construction of Pathum Wananurak Park was finished five years ago but it has never been opened to the public because two squatting families refused to move off the land.

Pathum Wananurak Park is located next to CentralWorld shopping mall. The park took over a residential area called Rong Poon Community where 1,000 houses were situated.

According to Khaosod, the 15.8-acre area is a public space but that did not stop a number of residents from building houses on the land with a view to staying there permanently. But, the Crown Property Bureau had other ideas and revealed a plan to turn the space into a public park. Some of the residents living there opposed the project because they had lived there for a long time.

After several conflicts, prosecutions, and compensation payouts, most of the Rong Poon residents moved out of the area leaving only two houses on the land. The two families insisted on staying, saying they had a difficult life and could not afford to move.

The two houses remained on the land until the park construction was completed in 2018. However, the Facebook page Street Hero V 3 recently announced that the houses had been removed.

The details about the removal process and compensation were not reported and neither has the official opening of the park.

A man who owned one of the houses, Prateung Kruenin, gave an interview with Voice TV last year. Prateung said…

“I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to do this but I really have nowhere to go. Do you understand me? I don’t want money. No matter how much it is, 10 million or 20 million. I want a place to live, a place to work, and a school for my grandchild. I requested these things from the Crown Property Bureau. If it’s impossible, at least give me the demolition cost.”

Many Thai netizens revealed that they were happy to have the chance to enjoy a park after such a long wait, while others were worried about the two families.

Netizens demanded to know more details about the eviction, where they are headed, and what support they got from the government but there has been no official announcement.