In a quiet, hush-hush move, the authorities have dusted off the Rattanakosin conservation and development master plan to turn Bangkok's inner, old town quarters into Thailand's own Champs-Elysee.
According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which is resurrecting the conservation blueprint, the plan has been tabled before the Office of Economic and Social Development Board for consideration before going to the cabinet for final approval.
This revised version of the 1997 formula is based on the idea that Bangkok's old town circle must be open space, and that means large parts of the capital city must be vacated to reduce crowds. Even though the plan has not been fully implemented yet, some parts of it have already been carried out and, as a result, some state agencies, as well as people in old communities including Mahakan Fort, were relocated. In the case of the Mahakan community, old structures were bulldozed and replaced with a green lawn while several mature trees were brutally felled.
