The talk of the town over the past week and days to come, especially for residents of Chiang Mai, is none other than the housing and office building project for judges and officials of the Region 5 Appeals Court in the forest at the foot of Doi Suthep mountain in Mae Rim district.
The controversial construction project pits environment-conscious groups in the northern province against the Office of the Judiciary which serves as the "housekeeper" for the judiciary.
The project is located on an 89-rai land plot out of a total of 147 rai that was ceded by the Treasury Department to the military for the construction of the Region 5 Appeals Court. The plot is just a fraction of more than 20,000 rai of land in Chiang Mai that the Treasury Department has allowed the military to use for security reasons. The housing project, scheduled to be completed next month, has the capacity to accommodate some 200 officials including judges.
