In the Way of Progress, Canal Dwellers Surrender Homes to Save Communities
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


A family member of Sujit Artpru, head of the Khlong Bang Bua community, sits Nov. 20 in the temporary shelter they moved into while their home is demolished to make way for redevelopment of the canal.

BANGKOK — Sujit Artpru laughed as he handed his 70-year-old mother-in-law a bowl to place under a leak in their corrugated metal roof.

A few months after moving into a temporary house to watch workers demolish their home of 21 years just a few meters away, which in a few weeks will swarm with workers widening the canal it sat alongside, Sujit and his family of four clearly aren’t used to their new arrangements, but they’re trying to make the best of it.

“Now you can see how we struggle with life for now,” he said Friday with a surprising lack of anxiety in his voice.

It was better than the alternative. After the military government announced in February it would demolish more than 7,000 residences along nine Bangkok canals to improve transportation and waterflow, Sujit and 184 other families living along Khlong Lat Phrao learned they would be among the first ordered to clear out.

A few months ago, Sujit, who represents the families living along the canal, volunteered to be the first to give his home to the wrecking ball.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1448542547

-- Khaosod English 2015-11-27

It's about time to get rid of those rat infested, germs ridden shanty houses,

they are breeding grounds for sickness. Disgusting.

Give those people a basic but decent place where to live like a human being.

Progress my @ss

again we have another sight seeing area going to the wall in the name of progress in this case the widening of the canals or khlongs and when the people are removed albeit not too far away they will have to pay rent in their new homes something they haven't been doing for as long as they have been living on the canals,

It's about time to get rid of those rat infested, germs ridden shanty houses,

they are breeding grounds for sickness. Disgusting.

Give those people a basic but decent place where to live like a human being.

Progress my @ss

and hope they won't throw all their rubbish and sewage straight into the canal or on the road directly outside their front door?

again we have another sight seeing area going to the wall in the name of progress in this case the widening of the canals or khlongs and when the people are removed albeit not too far away they will have to pay rent in their new homes something they haven't been doing for as long as they have been living on the canals,

Sight seeing area? Really? Is this some sort of specialty tour to stare and gawk at squatters in the slum? What exactly is so interesting about the location? Do you understand that these people are squatting and had no legal or moral right to erect their shanty towns where they did? The slums blocked the canals. Where do you think they put their garbage and sewage? The occupants should have been removed years ago when it was obvious that the shanty towns impeded water flow and traffic on the canals.