A huge opportunity cost our country have to pay

Bangkok, Thailand:
Soon after the Administrative Court has issued the order:

To completion within a year the installation of elevators and all accessible facilities constructed strictly by law, on all connections from the ground up to the platform floor of the BTS stations.

Our dedicated representatives of people with disability has geared up to run the works. We have put ourselves to participate and involve with all the supports, in accordance with the Bangkok’s authorities, to actualize this project. We have given them our hands all possible ways to drive the project into the right direction, as we best understand the problems. We have been counting down every single day. So far, it has been 3 years and 7 days since the promise and this project is still unfinished with the vast remaining on all 23 BTS stations. With in 23 BTS stations have only 1 elevator installed only on one side of the road. Some installed elevators are also not in perfect conditions. Nevertheless, there are very few improvements on those existing accessibilities in which its functions are below standard and needs refinement.

Thus, we did prosecution to the Civil Court for its underperformance and the damages of opportunity costs PWDs had to pay.
Surprisingly, there was an incredibly slow movement from the civil court. Their reaction seemed to delay and ask for more extra time again and again, which increase the damage over time.

It’s ironic that all new 10 lines of Bangkok Metro would be fully completed, according to the plan, around the next 5 years. But the relatively small elements of current elevators and all supporting accessibilities, however, take too much time to be done. And they actually are not finished yet although we have provided them all our supports and recommendations. This incident obviously clarifies in itself that, “They’re not sincere to solve the problems.” By global standard, these problems are not technically and financially advance, they actually could be solved easily.

Our message strongly remains the same that:

The Bangkok’s governor should take it as priority to complete all the remaining, as fast as possible.

The accessible infrastructure and all supporting facilities are fundamentally necessary and it is for “EVERYONE”. We must accept this cold fact that it is not an issue only for PWDs, but also for everyone. Meaning that we are steal our right to have a good quality of life.

Seen from higher perspective, on a macro level, non-accessible infrastructures have been preventing numerous Thai people’s opportunities to maximize their potentials for 30 years, or more, and counting on.

How can a country optimize her own potentials while her countless people lack accesses to opportunities?

Link to more stories about BTS >>> https://www.accessibilityisfreedom.org/en/tag/bts-en/