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Crime
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2003-01-28 13:10:00-05
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Bangkok: 60 business illegally bulldozed
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PM Thaksin has promised to act. Area-owner Sukhumvit Silver Star Co primary suspect in high-profile case of mafia tactics
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Many foreigners were among the investors and operators of the
small businesses (mostly bars, restaurants, hairdressers and Internet-cafes) located at Sukhumwit Square on the corner of Sukhumvit Road and 10th alley. Early Sunday morning several cranes, bulldozers and hundreds of hired hands demolished the area completely. A police source said the land had originally been mortgaged with Tisco, a finance company. The contract terms were not kept and Tisco had to take over the property, subsequently leasing it to BTR Holding Co. BTR then developed spaces and sub-leased them to traders. Sukhumvit Silver Star Co later acquired the prime property from Tisco for 496 million baht but BTR continued to collect rent from the traders. As Sukhumvit Silver Star could make no use of the land the leased it to Nickle Co who started to collect rent. Traders complained, as they were also paying BTR at the same time. Sukhumvit Silver Stars manager, Mr. Charnvit Kamolvisit, are under suspicion of having been involved in Sunday's demolition but no charges have been pressed yet.
Alex, a 54 year old Scotsman running "Tipplers' Tavern" said "We acquired a valid contract with a legitimate company. We paid keymoney and rent and have invested a small fortune in building up the business over two and a half year. How can this happen?" Many local people had invested a lifetime of savings in trying to establish themselves. "It was to be the income for me and my sisters. It is only a month ago we opened. Everything is gone, the bar, our music system, our TV. We spent all our money" said a tearful Thasseene, "Made In Heaven"-bar.
Another foreign owner who asked to remain anonymous said: "One thing that puzzles me is that it can happen at all. It took hundreds of people and several bulldozers to accomplish this destruction in 2 hours. A massive wall were built. Police is patrolling 10 meters away on Sukhumvit Road." Sunday PM Thaksin Shinawatra visited the place. He used the expressions "barbaric" and "perpetrated by anarchists". He promised compensation, to pursue the culprits and to sack any government official involved. Alex commented "We are grateful for the support from the PM and we hope that he will live up to his words." The last two nights the owners had established themselves outside the illegally raised barbed-wire concrete wall. "We are keeping it up the spirit for now but soon realities will set in. We have lost our job and income" said one girl.
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