Last week, JSP Sathorn Co Ltd - whom landlord Wat Yannawa hired to redevelop the land - began to demolish parts of the vintage buildings despite their being recognised for architectural value.

Leefin Boonwiriya led embattled residents to submit the appeal to BMA deputy city clerk Pichai Chaipojpanich against the city's demolition permit and call for the bulldozing to be suspended.

They said the contractor had not followed safety rules covering the site. Dust was everywhere, harming locals and passers-by.

Claiming the community was part of a Chinese commercial pier since the early Rattanakosin era, the residents said the 80-year-old vintage buildings should be conserved as a national heritage.

The Wanglee community had been there since the reign of King Rama V, Leefin said. The Wanglee family hired a French architect to design and erect the buildings in 1926 before they later donated the land to Wat Yannawa.

In 2004, a lawsuit to evict the residents was filed and a court battle ensued that is still ongoing in Southern Bangkok Civil Court, Leefin said. However, JSP Sathorn on Saturday began to demolish parts of the buildings, claiming it had received the green light from Sathorn District Office on Feb 1.

Earlier, the residents had asked the Fine Arts Department to list the site as an historic place, but since it was not 100 years old, the department could only issue a recommendation letter asking the landowner to conserve it, she said.

However, Wat Yannawa, the legitimate landowner, insisted on bulldozing the buildings to make way for new four-storey commercial buildings to be leased for 30 years at a price of Bt5 million per building, she said.

Pichai said the buildings did not come under the city's authority as Wat Yannawa owned the land, so he would consult with Governor Apirak Kosayodhin on negotiating with Wat Yannawa over conserving the buildings, and check on safety measures.

Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong

 The Nation