The Dutch Association in Thailand is taking steps to prevent the sale of the Dutch Embassy compound in Bangkok, a unique property on 206 Wireless Road, to local developers.
Willem Pentermann, chairman of the association, said he learned about a plan to sell the compound from a newspaper in the Netherlands.
He said negotiations are currently underway regarding the sale of the Dutch Embassy's buildings and grounds.
"The land and buildings are owned by the Dutch government and fall under the responsibility of the [Dutch] Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said. "Due to a government-wide cost-saving initiative, there will be a substantial reduction in the ministry's budget."
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, and his team have decided to explore the sale of the embassy in Bangkok," Mr Pentermann said. "We believe transparency in this process is of utmost importance."
The embassy said in an email to Bangkok Post: "We have no comments for you. If [at] any point we do have an update for you, we will let you know."
Mr Pentermann said the association has also submitted a letter to Mr Veldkamp to urge him to reconsider the decision.
"We are urging the ministry not to repeat the mistake made by the British government, which sold its embassy property under conditions that allowed for the demolition of historic structures," Mr Pentermann said.
"We are particularly concerned about the possibility of a clause being added to the sales contract requiring the demolition of the heritage building before transferring ownership to a local developer," he added.
