Sun sets on Phromthep eyesore

RAWAI: Visitors going to Laem Phromthep recently to watch the sun set have been getting more than they bargained for. At the top of the stairs leading up from the carpark, and blocking the view, is a large, unfinished stone monument. But now it has been decided that the unsightly new structure, built at a cost of 200,000 baht as part of a central-government-funded, 2-million-baht upgrade of the area, will be demolished. The stone edifice was supposed to be sculpted with the name “Laem Phromthep” in large letters, so that tourists could be photographed in front of it. But complaints about the ugliness of the monument and the fact that the builder took longer to complete the project than was specified in the contract have resulted in a decision by the Rawai Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) to demolish it. Rawai OrBorTor Chairman Aroon Soros told the Gazette that it is hoped a new monument will be erected a short distance from the present one within 20 days. The same contractor, who already faces a financial penalty for not completing the original monument on schedule, will build the new one at no extra cost.