City Hall has called off a free open-air movie screening and musical performance at Hua Lamphong station planned for Sunday, after an awkward lack of forward planning.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said on Thursday they had not sought permission to use space at the station before announcing the event, and it would have been refused anyway.
The SRT said it would interfere too much with holiday-weekend passenger movements and could aggravate the spread of Covid-19.
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The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced on Thursday the cancellation of the outdoor movie programme at Bangkok's historical downtown railway station, planned to run from 4.30pm to 10pm.
The BMA had slated Hua Lampong as the venue to show the famous Thai movie Khu Gum (Sunset at Chaophraya), starting at 8pm on Sunday. The screening would have been preceded with a performance by a BMA band, starting at 5pm.
The screening was to be part of a City Hall initiative to set up movie theatres outdoors at several locations in the capital this month, to entertain people and generate business for small vendors.
SRT spokesman Ekkarat Sri-Arayanphong said on Thursday that the agency had not been contacted by City Hall about the planned use of the station.
Even if the BMA had approached the SRT, it would not have allowed the use of space at Hua Lamphong for the event because it was a five-day long weekend and it would be busy with train travellers.
The SRT had also put in place strict measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, amid an increase in the number of cases, he said.
People watch an oudoors screening of a movie at Larn Khon Muang (the civic ground) last Thursday night. It was the first of a series of open-air shows planned by City Hall. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)
