The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set an April 30 deadline for residents of the Mahakan Fort Community to relocate, despite strong opposition from the locals and members of the public.
BMA officials erected an eviction notice Monday in front of the Mahakan Fort Community in Phra Nakhon district, urging locals to vacate the land they are living on by the deadline.
However, no opposition from locals was reported.
According to the announcement, a group of enforcement officials will tear down homes if residents defy the order. It said the plots near the fort where the locals have been living belong to the BMA after residents transferred ownership to the city. Some occupants have already received compensation.
The government plans to turn the site into a historical learning centre and public park. The National Housing Authority will provide support to residents facing eviction on April 19.
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A source at City Hall, who asked not to be named, said academics from the Fine Arts Department (FAD) will examine structures in the community following the relocation of residents. There are many wooden houses with Rattanakosin-era architecture in the community. Old houses and big trees will be kept.
The source said various state agencies have pressured the BMA to relocate the community for more than 24 years.
Peerapon Hemrat, the community's deputy chief, said the BMA paid compensation to occupants and asked them to relocate to buildings in Min Buri and Nong Chok which had no access to public transport. The new locations offered are also far away from their offices in the city.
Mr Peerapon said locals were preparing a letter seeking a meeting with Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra to discuss the eviction plan.
The occupants will propose to return the compensation paid by the BMA in monthly installments and rent their homes from the BMA.
They will ask for permission to remain in the community and have it developed as a tourist attraction. They also offered to ensure safety in the proposed park.
The residents will also ask the city to push for the Mahakan Fort Community to become an example of community and state co-management.
Bovornvate Rungrujee, a former FAD chief, and member of the Sub-Committee for the Conservation of Rattanakosin Town, said the community is a registered national heritage site.
That said, the area has never been vacant. "It has been occupied by people since the beginning of the Rattanakosin era."
He said fort residents could stay in the area as long as the community is well regulated.
Mr Bovornvate also said the Rattanakosin sub-committee, which initiated the eviction of Mahakan Fort residents, and some other communities in the old town area, is preparing to review the relocation plan.
Meanwhile, vendors from Pak Khlong Talat submitted a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, asking the government to review its decision to ban all vendors from pavements near the market from July 1 onwards, saying the proposed relocation sites are too far away.
They also asked for an opportunity to prove they could manage the area on their own.
