HERITAGE ON TRIAL

The Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine dispute exposes the gap between development and protection of cultural assets

- STORY: THANA BOONLERT

adjustments to meet legal standards or halt the project.

For some, the Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine is a beacon of resistance against a larger force.

When the Property Management of Chulalongkorn University (PMCU) sought eviction of its fourth-generation caretaker in 2020, Penprapa Ployseesuay did not expect students would come to her defence. The Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine is standing in the way of a redevelopment project, titled Block 33, that is near completion (now 70%). It is a vestige of vanishing communities in the name of urban progress.

Over time, campaigners have raised public awareness of the city's heritage, at home and further afield. A wide range of initiatives ranging from award-winning documentary The Last Breath Of Sam Yan to walking tours and art performances foreground the impact of gentrification sweeping through the capital.

Last November, the PMCU unveiled a new plan to change details of its redevelopment project for a new environmental impact assessment. It will preserve the site and allow public entry in a smoke-free environment. Yet it still seeks eviction of the caretaker. In response, students and community residents took legal action to halt construction for the first time.

The Central Administrative Court accepted their lawsuit against the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration over issuing a construction permit for Block 33. While highlighting the project's impact on the surrounding community, plaintiffs argued that construction falls short of meeting the street width requirements. Extra-large buildings must be adjacent to streets that are at least 18m wide, with a frontage of at least 12m to ensure fire engine access, according to ministerial regulations issued pursuant to the Building Control Act.