KANCHANABURI: A planned mini-marathon through Kanchanaburi's picturesque Ban E-tong has run into unflagging opposition from residents and local authorities.
Village chief Arunee Manatkeerati said on Saturday that local residents opposed the planned Pilok mini-and half-marathon, fearing it will clog the village with visitors and their garbage.
The running programme is organised by the Running Thailand health club. It was planned for next Sunday, with Pilok mine set as the start and finish points.
The village chief said Meesak Pakchaiyapoom, an organiser, came to the village in October last year and talked to the villagers about the event. She said it would bring in about 500 competitors, promote tourism and raise money for E-tong Mine School.
Now about 3000 visitors are slated to show up, said Mrs Arunee, while the village could accommodate no more than 500.
Police also expect about 1,000 vehicles to descend on the village.
The event has now run into a roadblock.
Pol Maj Gen Krissana Siripiyawat, the deputy Kanchanaburi police chief, on Wednesday signed an order barring the organisers from closing a road for the running route, saying it would inconvenience local residents and other tourists. The road provides the villagers with their only access for villagers to the outside world, he said, and police were also worried about safety as the road is narrow and steep in some sections.
The following day, however, the organisers posted a message on their Facebook page saying that the programme would go ahead as planned. "We cannot cancel the activity because everything has already been prepared," the message said.
Comments below the post called for the organisers to return their registration fees.
Pilok police on Saturday ran a counter-campaign on their Facebook account, accusing the organisers of trying to "distort the facts" and mislead the runners that the event was still on.
"Police have informed the organisers that the road closure was not approved. Why are they trying to defy the law in going ahead with the event?" police posted.
Authorities also warned that runners who joined the programme would be breaking the law.
"Pilok police station have coordinated with soldiers, volunteers and park officials to watch out for violators and the law will be strictly enforced," they said.
On Sunday, the long-running struggle continued with another Facebook post from the organisers, who said they'd make a final decision on Tuesday about whether their marathon efforts had run out of steam.
