Bangkok canals to be cleared, cleaned for boat transit

[webfact]

Canals to be cleared, cleaned for boat transit
By Coconuts Bangkok


Photo: MCOT

BANGKOK: -- More than 10,000 families living along Bangkok canals will be evicted to clear the way for improvements to the waterways.

Khlong Lat Phrao will be the first of nine canals to be cleaned for a 12-year-plan to reopen canals to transportation service, but first authorities will have to destroy makeshift housing for several hundred families there.

The junta-appointed cabinet granted authority to metropolitan authorities to proceed earlier this week. The government says it will relocate those affected.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2015/02/27/canals-be-cleared-cleaned-boat-transit


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-02-27

[Costas2008]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

[Thian]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

Were those houses illegal or not?

[iReason]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

"The junta-appointed cabinet granted authority to metropolitan authorities to proceed earlier this week."

Bring it up with them.

[pmarlin]

Read in another article on this that they are squatters and not legal.

[Thian]

Read in another article on this that they are squatters and not legal.

In that case they should get the bill of removing their house.

[clockman]

What about the corrupt officials who allowed it to happen.? Somebody got payed for sure!

[Sviss Geez]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

Who says they will be thrown "into some life-destroying highrise"? They could end up a lot better off than they are now. Perhaps they'll be relocated to somewhere where their "makeshift housing" will be legal?

What is their "livelihood" that you know so much about...living in a shack on a klong?

[wirat69]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

Singapore may have been better example.... familiar to many of us before and after....

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

How many of you negative posters come from a country that allows people to set up make shift housing wherever they want? I guess Canada must be a Junta Gov as well because there is no way that would be allowed there or any other western country. If illegal squatters need to be moved to improve transportation or the lives of the majority then so be it. They have had a nice free ride but now it is over. find a new place to squat!!!

[Squeegee]

This past couple of weeks Costas' consistent obsequiousness towards his junta hero has been completely replaced by flip-flopping between comedy turns and cringing at the taste of his own medicine.

It's gone from "I have complete faith in you!" to "But General, wouldn't it be better to sort out X, Y, Z first...?"

Cracks of daylight are showing through but he's in the early stages of denial. Still some way to go before he admits he has a problem though.

[Lupatria]

Relocate them where?

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Throwing them to some high rising residence will destroy their lives.

They did it in China to build that dam (don't remember the name) and the people started committing suicide.

I think the government should think more seriously and reevaluate the situation.

Waterways are important but peoples lives are to be taken more seriously.

These people have been living there for many years.

This is their livelihood, this is where they were born and grew up.

Well genius, in in almost all countries occupation of public property is illegal and most of them (exception is Greece of course) even enforce the law.

More interesting is the fact that all the years before this attempt the authorities had no or little reason or intention to clean up the Klongs.

One may call it an over-proportional Koala-administration- where they only move when unavoidable.

Doesn't that make you feel homesick?

Edited February 27, 2015 by Lupatria

[davemos]

Prehaps a Venice of the East is on its way!

[Thian]

Bangkok should use their waterways much more for public transport. Also the Chao Praya needs a much better boatservice which runs untill midnight.

But it's not only more boats, also parkinglots at the piers and skytrainstations.

Singapore has great touristboats, very quiet. BKK needs something like those but a lot bigger and faster.

[pacceka]

5555555 I think it's an excellent idea.

[tomloughney]

A few points:

Much of the flooding in Bangkok is due to clogged drainage so that would help.

Posters have said "they lived there for years" same goes for street vendors, the problem is in most countries they are actually squatters.

In thailand they have been renting the space from the police or BMA or other government agency that DID NOT have the authority to rent the space, but these people, including the beach chair people, had been paying rent for the use of the land.

Yes it was not legal, but the "legal" government did the renting.

So if I do business with the government, and the government is doing an illegal activity, am I doing an illegal or legal activity by contracting with the legal government with a legal contract?

So yes they are squatters, but they paid for that right. Should move them into the police housing and toss out the cops who did the renting.

Can't even fix the lottery prices, they were 110 for 80 baht tickets now 120.....

The ticket mafia makes more money on the tickets than the government does.

They should cancel the tickets and only sell them on mobile phones....everybody has a phone.

[Gonsalviz]

In which decade?

[lvr181]

It is very "difficult" for Thai people to learn from more advanced Asian economies e.g. Singapore or Hong Kong! I guess that is a problem when you are the big fish in a small pond?

Edited February 27, 2015 by lvr181

[doctorproc156]

What about the corrupt officials who allowed it to happen.? Somebody got payed for sure!

Pretty sure these people have been dead for decades if not a century

[jacko45k]

How many of you negative posters come from a country that allows people to set up make shift housing wherever they want? I guess Canada must be a Junta Gov as well because there is no way that would be allowed there or any other western country. If illegal squatters need to be moved to improve transportation or the lives of the majority then so be it. They have had a nice free ride but now it is over. find a new place to squat!!!

Oh it happens, they are called 'travellers' often Romany or Gypsy types who suddenly create an encampment in the field behind your house and then the problems start.

[jacko45k]

What about the corrupt officials who allowed it to happen.? Somebody got payed for sure!

Pretty sure these people have been dead for decades if not a century

A possibility their descendants are still claiming rent payments.

[Stargeezr]

I am happy to see the canals getting cleared for transportation, and if the houses along them

were illegal, then the people getting evicted, will have to move to an approved area of land and

rebuild. If the people were able to buy the land where their houses were built, then

the officials that sold them the land should be found out and have to help relocate these

people. It seems that the present government is still trying to improve Bangkok, and to affect the

past corruption that has existed for so long. As another commenter said, the canals help with

the flood problems as well and this seems to be a good way to help fix the flooding situation.

Of course there will be those who hate the current government and will complain and

whine about this situation. Too bad for them, and sorry but Ms. Yingluck, and Mr. Thaksin are

both busy with their own troubles, and likely will not be able to help in any way!

[BKKdreaming]

how many tankers full of bleach will be needed to kill the smell of these Klongs

as I recall many do not drain to the river so the water never circulates , this was a problem in the floods

but really its just poor people , and we know the the junta cares about them !

[louse1953]

How many of you negative posters come from a country that allows people to set up make shift housing wherever they want? I guess Canada must be a Junta Gov as well because there is no way that would be allowed there or any other western country. If illegal squatters need to be moved to improve transportation or the lives of the majority then so be it. They have had a nice free ride but now it is over. find a new place to squat!!!

In the far,dark corners of my brain i seem to remember something about squatting for a certain amount of time,gives you some rights to the land,10 years maybe.

[louse1953]

A few points:

Much of the flooding in Bangkok is due to clogged drainage so that would help.

Posters have said "they lived there for years" same goes for street vendors, the problem is in most countries they are actually squatters.

In thailand they have been renting the space from the police or BMA or other government agency that DID NOT have the authority to rent the space, but these people, including the beach chair people, had been paying rent for the use of the land.

Yes it was not legal, but the "legal" government did the renting.

So if I do business with the government, and the government is doing an illegal activity, am I doing an illegal or legal activity by contracting with the legal government with a legal contract?

So yes they are squatters, but they paid for that right. Should move them into the police housing and toss out the cops who did the renting.

Can't even fix the lottery prices, they were 110 for 80 baht tickets now 120.....

The ticket mafia makes more money on the tickets than the government does.

They should cancel the tickets and only sell them on mobile phones....everybody has a phone.

They weren't paying rent at all,show me the agreement.They were paying a bribe to an official of the government and therefore both of them breaking the law.

[mikiea]

Prehaps a Venice of the East is on its way!

yea.......da "hub " of canals , yea dats it. ...:-)

[NCFC]

I took a boat trip up khlong lat phrao about six-seven years ago with the team to survey the waterway for transportation purposes at that time. The "water" was viscous rather than liquid and big methane bubbles plopped every few seconds. About one hundred times more polluted than klong san saeb. The length of the canal on both sides is covered with the worst kind of flimsy shacks that you could imagine. Makes klong toey look upmarket. So any rehousing of the inhabitants would be a move for the better.

It will take a lot of money and effort to clean up that sewer of a canal, but I did notice there is a lot of empty land just beyond the shacks which would become prime development real estate. There's a lot of money to be made if they open up the canal for transportation.

[lvr181]

I took a boat trip up khlong lat phrao about six-seven years ago with the team to survey the waterway for transportation purposes at that time. The "water" was viscous rather than liquid and big methane bubbles plopped every few seconds. About one hundred times more polluted than klong san saeb. The length of the canal on both sides is covered with the worst kind of flimsy shacks that you could imagine. Makes klong toey look upmarket. So any rehousing of the inhabitants would be a move for the better.

It will take a lot of money and effort to clean up that sewer of a canal, but I did notice there is a lot of empty land just beyond the shacks which would become prime development real estate. There's a lot of money to be made if they open up the canal for transportation.

Maybe "those" who want the canal cleaned up have "friends" who could profit from the vacant land nearby?

But, cleaning`up of all the canals would be a great idea and "Venice of the East" (as BKK had also been known) may once again return.

Edited February 28, 2015 by lvr181

[webfact]

UPDATE:

PM orders evictions of squatters from Bangkok canals

Bangkok: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to evict squatters living on nine major Bangkok canals.

A BMA source said Prayut has instructed the BMA to take charge of the operations to put the nine canals in order to facilitate rainwater and upstream floodwater drainage to prevent Bangkok flooding and alleviate flooding in upper provinces.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/804890-pm-orders-evictions-of-squatters-from-bangkok-canals/

[chubby]

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27066589/jungle-san-jose-shuts-down-notorious-homeless-encampment

How many of you negative posters come from a country that allows people to set up make shift housing wherever they want? I guess Canada must be a Junta Gov as well because there is no way that would be allowed there or any other western country. If illegal squatters need to be moved to improve transportation or the lives of the majority then so be it. They have had a nice free ride but now it is over. find a new place to squat!!!