There goes another green space in Bangkok. The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) has announced the closure of Rama III park on June 28.
The 29-rai park, built to commemorate late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 72nd birthday, usually welcomes over 2,000 visitors a day from Sathorn, Yannawa, and Bang Kho Laem neighborhoods, reports The Nation.
EXAT, however, plan for the park to become a part of the expressway project, which extends from Rama III Road via Dao Khanong to the Western Outer Ring Road.
Once its gates are closed for good, the park is to be transformed into a workers’ camp as well as a storage area for the machinery that will be used to construct this 16.9-kilometer-long expressway.
In response, a petition began on change.org, with over 2,200 signatures in protest against the park’s closure.
While petitioners are on board with the expressway project, as it will decongest Bangkok’s traffic, they find it unnecessary to close the park gates for good.
“The park has been a recreational area for 24 years—to us, it represents the lungs of Bangkok,” said petition organizers.
“Those who are disabled, or ill, depend on coming here to improve their health.”
Residents in the area and regular park visitors demand that the plan to close the park be canceled.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has discussed the matter, but still believes construction should start by the end of this year.
