Community Krabi Residents Question Value of 1.7-Million-Baht ‘Monkey Bridge’ Project

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Workpoint.

 

A newly installed “monkey overpass” reportedly costing more than 1.7 million baht has sparked debate among local residents in Krabi, who question whether the taxpayer-funded project is necessary or cost-effective, given the rare sightings of monkeys in the area.

 

The steel structure, designed as a dedicated bridge for monkeys to cross the road, has been erected on Sri Trang Road, directly in front of the Krabi Tourist Police Station, near the entrance to Wat Tham Suea Vipassana Temple in Krabi Noi Subdistrict, Mueang District. The bridge spans approximately 30 metres in length and stands 10 metres high.

 

Local residents and shopkeepers in the area expressed confusion and scepticism about the project’s purpose. According to them, only one or two monkeys are occasionally seen descending from the nearby mountain to rummage for food, and they are quickly chased away. There have been no reports of monkeys attempting to cross the road in this specific location.

 

On the opposite side of the road, near the tourist police station and highway police service centre, locals have occasionally observed 2–3 long-tailed macaques in the vicinity. However, these monkeys have not attempted to cross the street, leading residents to question the urgency and necessity of building a bridge specifically for their use.

 

Some locals also raised concerns that if larger groups of macaques living in the nearby mangrove forest learn to use the bridge, they could start encroaching into residential and commercial areas, potentially causing nuisance and damage.

 

At present, it remains unclear which government agency commissioned or funded the project and no official explanation has yet been provided regarding the rationale or long-term objectives of the bridge. The apparent lack of community consultation and absence of detailed environmental assessments have further fuelled speculation about whether the project represents an effective use of public funds.

 

As public scrutiny intensifies, calls are growing for transparency regarding the planning process behind the monkey bridge, as well as evidence to support its necessity and potential impact on local wildlife and the community.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Workpoint 2025-07-09

 

 

 

[CHdiver]

If you take away the k in Monkey Overpass, then you get the real meaning of this project. Passing money over (in a brown envelope)...

[MikeandDow]

Example of Thailand's corruption 

[blaze master]

If anyone believes it really coat that much.....I got a monkey bride i can sell you

[Gsxrnz]

Why the surprise?

 

A government's sole purpose is to frivolously waste money through inappropriate and unnecessary spending on overpriced projects that benefit nobody. 

 

To justify the expense of the bridge, another government agency will soon begin relocating a barrel of monkeys from Nakon Nowhere into the area. Followed by another government agency spending money doing research on the social impact of relocating the said barrel of monkeys.

 

This is how government and bureaucracy functions. The more ludicrous their decisions, the more justified they are in making more ludicrous decisions.  It's a pattern.