Bangkok asked to fix its brutal sidewalks
A disabled woman sits selling food from a wheelchair on a Bangkok sidewalk. Take a walk down a Bangkok sidewalk and you'll probably have to navigate random holes as well as shortcut-seeking motorbikes. (For more evidence, see blogger Travel Happy’s aptly titled post, “12 Ways To Seriously Injure Yourself On A Bangkok Sidewalk.”)
But for Bangkok’s disabled, whether wheelchair bound or blind, navigating city streets is a near impossible feat. The problem is now so bad that the Disabled People's International Asia-Pacific Region is pressuring Bangkok authorities to fix the situation, reports the Nation.
According to the article, Bangkok’s Pathum Wan district office responded to the complaints by agreeing to upgrade the sidewalks underneath the Siam BTS Station, a notoriously busy stretch of pavement. The work will start in August, though it’s only a start to fixing the city-wide problem, Bangkok officials acknowledge.
In other Bangkok news:
No end to coup rumors: With talk of a coup already making the rounds in Bangkok, the appearance of 22 armed vehicles on the streets earlier this week didn’t help to calm fears. The Bangkok Post explains the real reason for the armored carriers on the streets.
Thailand’s ethnic Mon celebrate: Members of the Mon community in Thailand celebrated their national day this week, free of the official Thai government restrictions that interrupted similar events in the past, reports the Irrawaddy Review.
Thai classical concert: A traditional piphat concert will be held at the Siam Society tonight at 7pm. See Siam-society.org for more info.
Bangkok Opera photo exhibition: Fine art photographer Boaz Zippor’s "The Opera Files", a behind-the-scenes look at the Bangkok Opera, opens tonight at the Rembrandt Hotel.
