BURI RAM: Not all police have comfortable living quarters, and that particularly applies at Nong Song Hong police station.
The police station is in Muang district, about 25 kilometres from downtown Buri Ram. A new main building and 10-room living quarters was built in the compound two years ago. But with 38 officers stationed there, many were forced to continue living in the old, very rundown accommodation.
The men are crammed into two wooden, one-storey buildings with a total of nine small rooms. They were built 51 years ago, along with the old station office, and now house low-ranking officers, who have no choice but live in them. There is nowhere else nearby to stay.
"We have no budget funds for repairs," said one officer who requested anonymity. "We have to live in them as they are. If we want to fix them, we have to use our own money."
A visit to the buildings revealed the roofs leak and there are many holes in the walls, floors and ceilings.
"Sometimes we see rats or snakes inside," he said.
The deteriorating accommodation received no public attention until photos were posted on Facebook. It is not clear who posted them, but they have been shared along with expressions of sympathy.
Another view of the old residential living quarters at Nong Song Hong police station. (Photo by Sirachai Piraksa)