KANCHANABURI — Provincial authorities have ordered the third-ranked mobile operator True Move to remove two billboards installed near Saphan Mon, the country’s longest wooden bridge, after public complaints that they ruined the landscape.
Pakorn Noikate, mayor of Wang Ka tambon municipality in Sangkhla Buri district, said he wrote to True Move after ordering an investigation into the complaints. An inspection found the company had installed advertising signs without seeking permission from the municipality office.
The company installed two large billboards on the roof of rafts docked on the side of the Song Kalia River, near the popular bridge, that were clearly visible, especially from the bridge.
Other advertising signs of different sizes belonging to True Move are installed all over the area. The signs have met with displeasure by local residents and tourists who feel the colourful commercial adverts damaged the scenery and the charm of the famous Saphan Mon, or Mon bridge, which is dubbed the bridge of faith, Mr Pakorn said.
The municipal office was made aware of the matter after photos of the billboards circulated on social media and came under heavy criticism. The mobile operator had not notified the municipal office before putting up the signs, he said.
“If they want to install advertising signs, they should choose an appropriate site, avoid spoiling the beauty of the landscape, and comply with regulations by requesting approval from the municipality,” the mayor said.
The Mon bridge was built by the local ethnic Mon community to honour a revered monk and mentor, Luang Por Uttama, who provided them with safety and protection when the Thai-Myanmar border was fraught with civil war violence. Hence its official name, the Uttamanusorn Bridge.
Since its completion in 1987, the wooden bridge across the Song Kalia River has become a tourism magnet in Kanchanaburi province. The bridge was reopened in October last year after months of repairs to damage caused by powerful river currents.
(Photo by Piyarach Chongcharoen)