Homeless ejected from Sanam Luang

"Sanam Luang is my only shelter in Bangkok," said Somjit, speaking on condition his surname was withheld.

Sanctuary for the poor

The 45-year-old migrant worker from the Northeast said he slept at Sanam Luang whenever he couldn't find a job in the capital.

"Sanam Luang is a place for the poor. There's cheap food, and it's relatively safe because there are so many people around."

Asked about the BMA's attempt to rid the area of homeless people, he said: "I've heard it so many times before. Whenever a new governor takes office, he talks about it."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a homeless woman in her 50s said she would sneak back to sleep in Sanam Luang because she had nowhere else to go.

'We need assistance'

Noi, a 64-year-old vendor, said the authorities could not simply order people off the ground. "They must offer assistance if they want us to move away," she said.

Another street hawker, Jeab, said she and her husband had plied their trade at Sanam Luang since escaping unrest in the deep South. "We sell used hats and caps here to support our children," said the 41-year-old mother.

She urged the BMA to regulate stalls at Sanam Luang rather than forcing street hawkers out.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra explained that it was necessary to clean up Sanam Luang because it was a venue for royal ceremonies. "We need to put a stop to prostitution in the area," he said, adding that the garbage problem and illegal street hawking was also being tackled.

Sukhumbhand said the Social Development and Human Security Ministry would place Sanam Luang's homeless people on its register. "They will be given accommodation or sent back home," he said.

He added that the Labour Ministry was ready to find jobs for them.

As of yesterday, 22 people had registered themselves as homeless at Sanam Luang.