Bangkok—
At 8:00 AM, on December 28th, 2023, Mr. Pairot Thungthong, the owner of Night Bazaar Hotel, Chatuchak, Bangkok, held a religious ceremony to remove a controversial statue, Khru Kai Kaeo, from the vicinity.
However, Mr. Thepparit Pansuk, the managing director of Khru Kai Kaeo Co. Ltd., opposed the decision-making by Pairot and encountered the lawyer of the Night Bazaar Hotel.
Mr. Chalong Chanhom, the lawyer, asserted that it is necessary to remove the controversial statue as the area of the State Railway of Thailand cannot allow subleasing. The statue was ordered to be removed within 30 days after receiving a notice from the State Railway of Thailand officials.
The Night Bazaar Hotel sector had to pay a fine of 1.3 million baht to continue the contract of leasing the area, said Chalong.
There has also been ample discussion online, notes TPN Media, about the Thai constitution granting freedom of religion and if the removal of the statue, driven primarily by Buddhist religious activists, could be a violation of this. Religious activists, however, have pointed to legal subleasing rules for the removal and claim it is not religiously motivated, which has been challenged by some others online.
After negotiations for more than 30 minutes, the two parties agreed to settle further in court proceedings as Thepparit reportedly claimed the right to a rental contract in the area where Khru Kai Kaeo was established, reported Thai national media.
