TV sets have been installed in some Skytrain carriages to show advertisements, much to the dismay of many passengers.

People fed up with noise pollution in Bangkok have turned their wrath on the operators of the Skytrain over loud television sets installed in train carriages.

They recently formed a group and issued their first statement yesterday calling on the mass transit operator to stop bombarding them with unwanted noise.

"It's tiring and we don't like the noise. We have to put up with visual pollution and now noise pollution," said Panchalie Sathirasas, a well-known potter who represents the newly-formed People Who Love Quiet Club.

Television monitors have been installed by BTS on six of its trains to show advertisements with the volume turned up. The test run, said a BTS public relations official, began earlier this month.

But Panchalie, who formed the group with 90 others, including academics, writers, office workers and media people, said it was time to oppose the new audio-visual ads inside the carriages.

It was bad enough that commuters had to listen to blaring television sets on the platforms while waiting for a train.

"It's loud outside [on the platform] but it used to be quiet inside [the carriage].

"We put up with it. But they're taking too much advantage of us now.

"It's also tasteless and perhaps illegal," she said.

The group's statement issued to The Nation said their peace of mind had been disturbed by this latest attempt to force advertising on commuters.

"When we go to work in the morning, our heads are still clear but we're forced to listen to these televisions.

"When we return home we are tired and need rest. Instead we have to put up with this irritating noise again which causes headaches and a bad mood," the group said.

"Please spare our ears . . . We have enough with other noise intrusion."

Other countries, Panchalie said, do not allow the volume to be turned on.

"We will wait for their response. But we shall continue [the protest] and the numbers will grow," she vowed, saying two weeks should be enough time for the BTS management to do something.

Panchalie said the group had contacted Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin but had received no reply from him.

The Skytrain management has made no response to the complaint, saying only that

the matter was a "sensitive" issue.

"I'll inform you later," Kannikar Tor-trakul, a BTS public relations officer, said about the Skytrain management meeting to discuss the matter.

For now, it seems, the television are there to stay.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation