Growing city eyesore

No one wants the Soi Ruam Rudi demolition job, so the legal saga drags on, writes Supoj Wancharoen

- Supoj Wancharoen

The Aetas Bangkok hotel, closed since a final ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, which ordered its demolition in October 2014.WISUTTIPONG RODPAI

(WISUTTIPONG RODPAI)

Inside Soi Ruam Rudi in Pathumwan district, two luxury high-rise buildings now stand sealed and silent, encircled by metal fencing and waiting for demolition.

The Aetas Bangkok hotel, a 24-storey tower with two basement levels, and the adjacent 18-storey Aetas Residence serviced apartment building have been closed since December last year, marking the latest chapter in a legal saga that has dragged on for more than two decades.

No one is sure of their ultimate fate, as contractors appear reluctant to take on the job. Is this all the city can expect after a two-decade legal battle?

SILENT TOWERS

For passersby who wander into the narrow street today, the scene is striking. There are no guests, no staff bustling through the lobby, no signs of life behind the glass. Security guards stationed at the entrance offer little information beyond confirming that “there are no customers now”. What happens next, they say, is not for them to know.

The closure follows a final ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, which ordered the demolition of both buildings as far back as Oct 30, 2014. The court found the structures violated Ministerial Regulation No 33 (1992), which prohibits buildings higher than eight storeys or 23 metres on roads narrower than 10 metres.

Soi Ruam Rudi, despite earlier claims to the contrary, does not meet that legal threshold.

Yet more than 10 years after the ruling became final, the towers still stand.