Issues & Problems

Our group of activists passed by Asoke area during the beginning of April 2019. We found that there was, at full scale, an ongoing footpath work alongside the main road. Yet there was no other way for pedestrians to walk safely and comfortably. Ordinary people might still survive this scenario but the same is not true for the disabled, and far worse for wheelchair user that has to step down on the busy street to get through. A real life-threatening moment.

I went to Suvarnabhumi airport. I was about to take a lift to go down stair, and found a group of foreign tourists waiting in front of the lift. I was behind them, wait for a few minutes they’re just stay as they’re been and I said out loud… “Excuse me, you guys are waiting right in front of the lift door, how could the other passengers get off?” The ladies suddenly seemed a bit nervous. One of them began to walk away, taking an escalator instead. Then soon all of them followed the first one.^^ Please pardon me but …

In case of emergency, natural disaster, or any unexpected hazardous circumstances, how could a person with disability survive in such scenario? A concern I have deeply kept it for so long, and sparked out again due to the recent serious fire on the building in Bangkok two days ago, three people died and many injured. It’s a question I myself could yet give a proper answer. It’s perhaps due to my ignorance, more information is needed to research. Though I knew that there are  numbers of people specifically working in this issue. Generally speaking, there remains plenty rooms for improvement …

“We would like to see the new government giving priority truly to the rights and equality” Interview with ThaiPBS on Thailand Election Day (Link: https://www.facebook.com/AccessibilityIsFreedom/posts/2309355729087059) 24 March 2019

Bangkok, a city of global destination, on March 14, 2019, I took my foreign friends a city tour. Before the tour begins, we would like to have some coffee, so we rushed to Terminal 21 shopping mall at A-soke. At the mall’s entrance, which connected to BTS A-soke station, we found a brand-new, and magnificent, coffee shop named CPS Coffee. Its glamour and brilliant design drew our attention to get in. Yet we were unable to do so as it was highly inaccessible. A friend of mine then told that “I came to this shop in the morning, but I …

According to the incapability of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the current owner of the entire BTS, that failed to provide adequate elevators and other accessibility facilities on its BTS 23 stations, a group of people with disabilities, for this reason, had prosecuted the BMA and finally won a lawsuit on November 24, 2014. The court thus issued an order to BMA for them to complete, constructed by law, all the remaining elevators and other supportive accessibility facilities within one-year time. As such, the completion should be fulfilled by the beginning of 2016. Nevertheless, the construction remains unfinished to this day, …

Report from Bang-na area, on the 24th floor building. AirVisual’s AQI 161 which is indicated as ‘Unhealthy’ and I found that on this height I feel much more air pollution than the ground. Suggestion:

We made a field survey on this site six months ago. We’ve gathered useful information, all possibly available, regarding the Bangkok BTS Green Line South Extension and provided with critical recommendations to the government sectors and civil servants. Despite our huge efforts for the better, today it seems that things get worse, truly worse! AS YOU CAN SEE!, this is a thing you won’t see from the wise man. The Prime Minister once has stated precisely that “We won’t leave a man behind”. The Minister of Transport was also quickly responsive to his policy. But the reality doesn’t reflect what …

On behalf of T4A (Transportation for All), we were invited to join a regional dialogue held by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). The topic this year was “2018 AICHR Regional Dialogue on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community” / Accessibility through Universal Design) AICHR is an intergovernmental commission whose goal shares the same with us: human rights. Some of our leading activists and networks were presented in the event including Mr. Monthian Buntan. The topic was mainly about Universal Design. Once my turn has come, I began with… “We have …

The answer is “NO”. The cost of the installation of elevators and ramps on every access point on every station account for just about 1% of the whole project’s cost. To say, no matter the cost, this is a thing that needs to be done. There is no excuse of not doing that and even the law has regulated this clearly since 13 years ago. Importantly, given this emphasis, the Prime Minister has stated firmly that “We won’t leave anyone behind.”