Ongoing construction at the former site of Scala is opposite a major predecessor. Opening in 1985 at the corner of Pathumwan Intersection, MBK Center is located on a plot of land leased to Mah Boon Krong Drying and Silo Co Ltd. It features a 20-storey office building and an eight-storey shopping mall.
In recent times, Pathumwan Skywalk has been a popular landmark. Last year, it received a facelift with a new sticker following a viral social media post showing the city's name had gone missing after use for almost two decades. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) immediately responded by covering it with the colourful sticker, which reads "Bangkok" both in Thai and English.
"On the one hand, this change reflects public participation. On the other hand, anything that taints the country's image is a sensitive matter, hence swift action," Artit commented.
A decade-long campaign of artists culminated with the opening of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) in 2008, according to its website. In addition to being caught in a tug of war between public space and a retail project, the BACC has become a political battleground between coupmakers and protesters. A recent flash mob was called in support of the now-defunct Future Forward Party on Dec 14, 2019, following the Election Commission's vote to disband the opposition force.
A map in front of the Chao Pho Suea Shrine shows communities on Chula's land in 1925. (Photos: Thana Boonlert)
"The BACC makes the city look civilised. Despite its good intention to promote art to the general public, I think it is more accessible to the middle class," Assoc Prof Thamrongsak said.
Such division is what Harvey describes as the formation of "microstates". He explained that the neoliberal spirit of possessive individualism is expressed in the spatial form of the city, including fortification, gated communities and privatised public spaces under constant surveillance. In the developing world, cities are fragmented into clusters of wealthy neighbourhoods, with all kinds of facilities and illegal settlements.
A walking tour reveals how expansion of private properties in this area marks loss of communal spaces. Walking further to Chula Soi 9, participants will come across two condominiums. Located on the residential land, CU Terrace and CU iHouse cater to lecturers, students and university staff.
Pongwarin Sarachai, a tour guide and student at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, said the two condominiums are standing on the former site of Suan Luang School.
"It accommodated students from low-income backgrounds in Sam Yan unable to afford Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School and Triam Udom Suksa School. As the number of students declined, Chulalongkorn University indirectly sought return of the land through the Pathumwan District Office. The remaining students were then transferred somewhere else," he said.
Ji Choi was squeezed out to make way for other businesses.
Asst Prof Netnapa Khumthong, a former lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Economics, said when CU Terrace opened a decade ago, rooms started at an affordable price of 1.8 million baht. Because she and her husband failed in the drawing lots, they used a quota to rent a room at CU iHouse for their daughter, a student at the Faculty of Arts, instead.
"During Covid-19, the PMCU closed a study room to make way for a café on the ground floor to make more money. I am upset about its disregard of student welfare. Meanwhile, a study room on the fifth floor closes too early," she said.
Asst Prof Netnapa noted that during the pro-democracy movement, students ran for shelter in wake of police dispersal at Pathumwan Intersection. It was reported that water mixed with teargas and blue dye was sprayed on demonstrators.
"Because staff was ordered to block entry to the condominium, I negotiated with them to allow some non-resident students to wash their eyes, face and skin in restrooms on condition that I would take responsibility for whatever happened. I also asked police to stay away," she said.
Shrinking space for citizens threatens democracy and human rights. Nearby, Centenary Park is touted as a "gift from the 100-year-old university". Pongwarin explained that it stands on the former ground of shophouses. Built in 1961, they were the hub of automobile parts but were cleared to make way for the park. Despite increasing green coverage and functional space, he expressed concern over its emphasis on private security over communal space.
Vacated shophouses near the Chao Pho Suea Shrine.
"It closes at 10pm. Political activities by students are not allowed," he said.
A commemorative event for Oct 6, 1976, and screening of The Last Breath Of Sam Yan was banned, according to students involved in the matter.
Given hamstrung regulations, Artit questioned the idea of increasingly privatised public spaces. He asserted that Harvey's right to the city is the exercise of collective power -- not by a single individual -- to shape urbanisation.
"I am impressed with the student-led campaign to save Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine. Students sit on the shrine's committee to express their voice. It is an example of an [urban] common, where resources are managed by community members," he said.
The mixed-use project titled Block 33 covers a swathe of land that houses a 50-storey building for residence and a student dormitory. Hemmed in by metal sheet fences, the Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine is not bowing down to redevelopment pressure. Penprapa Ployseesuay, the fourth-generation caretaker, has fought a legal battle against an eviction order since 2020.
Settanant Thanakitkoses, producer of The Last Breath Of Sam Yan, said Mazu, or Chao Mae Thapthim, is revered by sailors, which explains why the sea goddess are commonly worshipped in overseas Chinese communities, especially in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. An ancestor picked up her wooden statue from a canal and built the first shrine. Despite surviving a fire, the shrine was relocated to the current site.
Centenary Park.
"A censer that boasts the royal cypher of King Rama V is evidence of its over 150-year existence," he said.
Netiwit said while possessing historical and cultural value, religious organisations in Sam Yan have other goals -- they provide a lifeline to their communities.
"While paying rent to Chula, Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine is giving away food to those in need. It is standing for the common good more than a university."
But while some are holding out, others are caving in. For example, Ji Choi, a mom-and-pop shop, closed its five-decade chapter due to rising rent. Next in the firing line is the Chao Pho Suea Shrine. Built in the reign of King Rama VI, it was moved from Hua Lamphong to the current site in Sam Yan in 1966. Chulalongkorn University has sought its relocation to expand its educational facilities. Settanant said it houses numerous artefacts from nearby demolished shrines which could seal its fate.
"As tenants are denied lease renewal, the next step is to knock it down," he said.
Netiwit added that a community occupied four years ago is now also deserted.
"I heard they planned to develop an art space here but did not manage to find any tenant who could afford to rent it. What is left behind may be knocked down," he said.
This is the last of a two-part series that explores gentrification of the Sam Yan neighbourhood. Click here for the first article.
