TA-16i2-thailand-update
In only four weeks a total of eight factory buildings have been removed (left side of picture) with plans for half of Thailand Tobacco Monopoly’s land to beconverted to park which will be donated to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on her birthday on August 12.
After many false starts on Thailand Tobacco Monopoly’s (TTM) promise to move its cigarette and tobacco factories from Bangkok, we’d promised not to bother reporting another one of their “we’re moving” stories without some compelling evidence.
Following up our cover story in March/April, we can now report that TTM, sitting on 640 rai (102 ha or 154 acres) of prime real estate in the center of sprawling Bangkok, Thailand, is moving; factory buildings are being torn down as we write (see picture).
At least half of the land occupied by TTM will be converted to a park and officially given to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand on the occasion of her 84th birthday on August 12. Although this is an ambitious plan, eight factory buildings have already been removed in half as many weeks and keeping up with this pace, they may be able to have the park planted out and presentable for the Queen by then (EDITOR).