Bangkok – An investigation into a row between residents of the Seri Villa housing estate and nearby markets has found 15 officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) at fault for allowing some of the markets to operate illegally.
Bangkok Governor, Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, disclosed the 15 BMA officials worked in the divisions of civil work, cleanliness and the environment as well as administration. Four of them have been identified as the director of Prawet District Office and his assistants.
The probe has found that the Administrative Court issued an injunction in 2013, ordering the Bangkok Governor and the director of Prawet District Office to stop anyone from causing trouble for Boonsri Saengyoktrakarn and four other individuals who had been affected by the operations of the markets located close to their houses.
Nevertheless, in February, two women – Ratanachat and Boonsri Saengyoktrakarn – smashed a pickup truck that was parked in front of their gate, while the driver of the pickup was out shopping at one of the markets encircling their house.
The incident has brought the decade-long dispute between the affected residents of the Seri Villa housing estate and the markets in the neighborhood into the public spotlight, sparking doubts about the City Hall’s management of markets in the capital.
The Bangkok governor and the Bangkok permanent-secretary are discussing a plan to set up a committee to determine disciplinary action to be taken against the 15 officials involved in the case.
