Chuwit To Construct Bt500m Thank You

[george]

Chuwit to construct Bt500m thank you

BANGKOK: -- Chuwit Kamolvisit, who finished third in Sunday’s Bangkok gubernatorial race, yesterday vowed to pay Bangkok voters a hefty tribute for their support: a showcase development he had promised to build if he became governor.

The massageparlour tycoon said he was so grateful and overwhelmed by the 334,168 votes he garnered that he would spend Bt500 million turning his controversial Sukhumvit Soi 10 land plot into a charitable project dubbed “The Spirit of Bangkok”.

“I will keep my promise, although I am not governor,” he said, adding that the votes he received were a victory for a common man like him.

Chuwit said the project on the primelocation sixrai plot would boast a gallery, library, youth club, shelter for abused children and public park.

The plot was at the centre of high drama last year when an earlymorning raid resulted in the levelling of a strip of beer bars and shops on the land.

It led to Chuwit being arrested last May for allegedly masterminding the demolition and fuelled national debate and intrigue, his public profile rising after he claimed he regularly paid massive bribes to police.

Chuwit denies, however, that he masterminded the raid.

The plot is the last available land plot in the downtown Sukhumvit area and at least two leading realestate developers have offered to buy it for Bt1.2 billion, he said.

He added that he would scrap his previous Bt3billion development project on the land to give way to “The Spirit of Bangkok”, despite having already spent Bt25 million on the previous project’s design.

Earlier this year, Chuwit said he would sell all of his six massage parlours to develop a 250room fivestar hotel on the land.

He later changed his mind, saying he would build a 225room fourstar hotel and a residential hotel under two international hotelmanagement chains.

A shopping mall is also planned for the site, he said.

“I want to do this in a sarcastic way, to satisfy myself. This project will challenge those who have despised my election bid and my good will for Bangkok,” he said.

Chuwit said the project would be administered by his First Kamolvisit Family Foundation and would be opened before August 29 next year – his 44th birthday and exactly one year after the governor poll.

After the election results came out, Chuwit announced that he would enter national politics and his First Thai Nation Party would contest all of Bangkok’s 37 constituencies.

Chuwit currently operates a boutique hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 24, a housing project on Srinakarin Road, an apartment on Ratchadaphisek Road and an office complex on Silom Road.

--The Nation 2004-08-30

[bartender100]

I think he has just confirmed he was really behind the demolition,maybe he has conscience after all.No consolation to those who lost money.

[stumonster]

The plot is the last available land plot in the downtown Sukhumvit area and at least two leading realestate developers have offered to buy it for Bt1.2 billion, he said.

so the disused carpark and vacant block of land beside soi 6 are not available plots of land?

[thailien8]

Why do the Thais seem to prefer to destroy viable, thriving commercial properties (not only Chuwit's Soi 10 beer bar property, but also the former Clinton Plaza across the road, and Siam Intercontinental Hotel) in order to build something else, which may or may not get finished before the next economic crash comes along? If they want to destroy something to build on the property, why not get rid of that horrible eyesore of a rotting skeleton that lurks right next to Nana BTS station?