I have to say I was speechless when I heard the news that people with disabilities (PWD) lost a court battle against the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) over 1.4 billion baht in compensation for it failing to install enough lifts at skytrain stations.
In early 2015, the BMA was ordered by the Supreme Administrative Court to install a total of 56 lifts, which would make all the 23 skytrain stations on the Silom and Sukhumvit routes accessible to PWDs. Installation was supposed to be completed by 2016.
But three years on, the BMA has made little progress in fulfilling the court order.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
In the latest lawsuit with the Central Administrative Court, the BMA claimed the delay is related to technical problems during installation. What a lame excuse.
However, the court acquitted the agency because it has regularly updated problems which, the court said, "shows its sincerity" in completing the task.
After the acquittal, Manit Intharapim, a PWD activist, told me he had examined every station where elevators were to be fitted in accordance with the court order but found no technical problems. He believed it was possible to install an elevator at almost every station if the agency really wanted to.
The activist said he has been meeting with the BMA's working team and has scheduled follow-ups so that lifts can be installed as soon as possible.
However, Mr Manit added that there was one spot where technical problems did exist -- at Saphan Kwai station. It so happened that a group of residents in the Saphan Kwai area opposed the installation of the lift close to their building due to fears that thieves could easily access their homes via the lift tower. But after talking with the PWDs, Mr Manit said, the residents eventually agreed to the elevators on the condition that the BMA install CCTV cameras to ensure safety in the area.
Other than that, the activist said he was not aware of any complaints from city residents about installing lifts.
The PWDs' frustration is understandable. It's been such a long, fruitless wait. Why has their right to mobility, which is endorsed in the constitution, been compromised by such a heartless agency? Should I mention that this is a universal right?
Mr Manit made the headlines in March last year when he, in a fit of anger, smashed the lift door at Asok station. He was fed up with thoughtless rules and procedures, since he and other PWDs who registered with the skytrain operator had to wait at a door for a security guard to accompany them from the ticketing area up to the platform. The lift at Asok station is one of the very few stations that had a lift installed when the skytrain system first opened in 1999. However, it is accessible only to passengers who are physically challenged -- a condition that must be visibly proved -- for example, by using a wheelchair. Otherwise, access is denied.
Registration as a PWD means that the person can get a free ride. However, this is a compromise that stemmed from the delay in installing the appropriate infrastructure at all stations as ordered by the court. To obtain the service, a wheelchair-bound person must sign his or her name for each ride, which seems to discourage individuals from using the lift.
So, the PWDs simply have to wait, even though they are willing to pay like able-bodied passengers. And we will continue to see a lot more kind-hearted people, mostly motorcycle taxi drivers in the area, carrying people in wheelchairs up the stairs. What a sight.
It's all rather ironic since we are trying to present Bangkok as a modern city, with an extensive rail network system which is due to be completed within the next five years. But we can't even provide proper access to wheelchair users at every station. What about passengers with babies inside prams? Small kids?
Should the BMA be reminded of two things? First, Thailand now has about 11 million senior citizens and we are quickly becoming an ageing society, with more than 13 million seniors expected by 2021. It's clear that such facilities will be even more necessary in the future, and not just for PWDs.
Second, by dragging its feet in the lift saga, the BMA has failed to observe the constitution, which states that everyone should receive equal service, regardless of age, gender, social status or physical disability.
What's the use of being in a modern city when the administrators have no vision and discriminate?
