Political and civil dissent in Bangkok in past decades have been mainly limited to areas around Sanam Luang, Thammasat University and Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
An area in front of shopping malls in the business district of Ratchaprasong was transformed into a political demonstration ground when about 4,000 anti-amnesty protesters converged there last week. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
These areas have witnessed several historic political events - from the Oct 14, 1973 student uprising to the Oct 6, 1976 massacre and the 1992 Black May protest against the Suchinda government. Many labour and environmental campaigns have also been held in these areas.
But in recent years, new alternate rally sites have come to the fore in the capital, notably the business districts of Ratchaprasong, Silom and the Siam area.
This is partly because these new areas are located near skytrain stations, making it easy for people to travel to the venues - and since a large number of office buildings are located in these places, it is easy for office workers to take part.
In fact, the growing use of Bangkok's downtown districts for demonstrations started in 2010 when the red shirts seized Ratchaprasong intersection to rally against the government of the then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Since the May 19, 2010 crackdown, the red shirts have held gatherings in this area several more times to commemorate the dozens of red shirts killed during the months-long protest.
When the red-shirt-supported government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in 2011, anti-Thaksin Shinawatra groups began to hold rallies. One of the most active groups has been V for Thailand, also known as the White Mask group, which called weekly protests against Ms Yingluck.
They have gathered at CentralWorld shopping mall every Sunday and walked to Pathumwan intersection where the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) is situated.
The White-Mask group drew immediate attention from the media and the public. One foreigner told the Bangkok Post that he had visited CentralWorld just to witness the demonstrations.
Since then, protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks have spread across the nation.
Environmentalists have also found the Siam area a prime spot for their protests.
In late September, thousands of green activists and city residents converged on the BACC to give moral support to Sasin Chalermlarp, the secretary-general of the Seub Nakasathien Foundation, as he ended his 388-kilometre long march from Kamphaeng Phet to Bangkok to oppose the construction of the Mae Wong dam.
The business district has been back in the spotlight with thousands of people, joined by office workers, having flocked to Silom and Ratchaprasong within the past two weeks to join the "whistle-blowing" protest against the blanket amnesty.
Asok intersection, another business area located along a skytrain route, was also used as a venue for anti-amnesty bill gatherings last week.
These political and civil campaigns have changed people's perception of the Ratchaprasong-Siam-Pathumwan area from places for shopping malls, entertainment venues and business to sites for political and civil protest.
The area is home to many popular shopping malls such as MBK, Siam Discovery, Siam Centre, Siam Paragon, CentralWorld, Isetan and Gaysorn Plaza.
Kwansuang Atibodhi, a special lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Urban and Regional Planning Department, said the Sanam Luang-Ratchadamnoen area was used for mass gatherings in the past because most government offices were located in the vicinity.
Sanam Luang, thanks to the nearby Chao Phraya River, was considered the capital's main transportation hub in days gone by.
Today, many government departments and agencies have relocated, including to the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Road. However, Government House and parliament are still located near Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.
But with new mass transportation projects and changes in city residents' lifestyles, use of space in the city has changed, Mr Kwansuang said.
Nobody ever imagined that the Siam area would become a magnet for demonstrations.
Commercial buildings, such as department stores, are designed for commercial activities, not for political demonstrations.
But in fact these settings provide plenty of public space that allows for various kinds of activities, including political protests, to take place, the academic said.
When demonstrators hit the heart of the city, the government and the nation were shocked, he noted.
Activist Surin Pattamassanupong, from a student network, said holding large gatherings in economic centres such as Siam or Silom creates a huge impact and easily catches the public's attention.
But he still believes the Ratchadamnoen area is a strategic point for political demonstrations as Government House and parliament are located there. The historical significance of the avenue also renders some moral support to demonstrators.
Business centres like Siam or Silom are suitable for popular campaigns such as environmental protests, Mr Surin said.
"When people can see [demonstrations], it creates quite an impact," said Piyachart Trithaworn, owner of the Gallery Drip coffee shop, located on the ground floor of the BACC.
Mr Piyachart, who is also a former student activist working on environmental conservation, said during the first years of his business, the coffee shop was very quiet.
But after the BACC's revamp last year adding more shops and activities, the centre is attracting more visitors. The place has also become a gathering point for demonstrators and activists.
Mr Piyachart witnesses demonstrations at BACC's plaza at least once a month.
If a campaign's main focus is easily understood, Thai and foreign observers will show their empathy, he said.
"Optimistically, it's good to have an open space for expressing opinions or voicing ones' concerns," said Mr Piyachart. "There are a lot of passersby here and demonstrators' voices can easily reach a large group of people."