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Pom Mahakan Officially Closed

49 images Created 23 Apr 2018

Pom Mahakan, the old fort in central Bangkok, was abandoned by the Siamese military in the 1860s when Bangkok expanded beyond the city walls.

Families, some related to the military, some drawn to the Siamese capital for economic opportunities, and some artisans moved into the fort and established a community.

They weren't quite squatters - the military gave them unofficial permission to stay - but neither were they legal tenants. Their presence was condoned by the city.

In the 1950s, the Thai military gave title of the land to the city of Bangkok. In the mid 1960s, Bangkok officials announced plans to close the fort, evict the families and turn the land into a park.

The residents stayed in the fort. The community in the fort grew and soon it was an eclectic mix of gamblers (cock fighting was a big part of life in the old fort), artists (traditional Thai crafts like pottery supported several families), performers (families of musicians and Likay performers lived in the fort) and fireworks venders.

The city never gave them permission to stay and over time, their status changed from tenants to squatters. They lived with the constant threat of eviction hanging over their heads, but with Bangkok growing increasingly expensive to poor people, there was nowhere for them to go.

In 2016, Bangkok officials announced that time was up and said evictions would start that year.

I started photographing in the fort in April, 2016. In September, 2016, the city made its first move against the fort. Hundreds of city officials, supported by police and soldiers, fought residents and their supporters for hours before taking over the fort, evicting about 12 of 60 families and tearing down their homes.

After that the demise of the community became death by a thousand cuts. There were no mass evictions. But city officials would show up, sometimes unannounced, evict a family and tear down their home. As homes were cleared, city landscapers started building the park.

In April, 2018, the city announced that the remaining families would have to leave and the homes torn down by April, 25, 2018.

The last families moved out on April 22.

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  • 07 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A man pushes his bike past a woman and her son eating their lunch in front of their home in the squatters' community in Mahakan Fort. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions024.jpg
  • 09 MARCH 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A motorcycle taxi driver watches his fighting cock spar in a training bout in the Pom Mahakan community in Bangkok. The birds wore tiny muzzles and had their legs padded to prevent injury. The community of about 50 families was once known as the cockfighting center of Bangkok. Gambling is now prohibited by the military government and cockfighting is not as popular as it once was. Cockfights are still staged in clandestine pits in Bangkok but outside of Bangkok cockfights are common.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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  • 10 AUGUST 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A resident of the Pom Mahakan slum massages his fighting cock after a training session. Residents of the slum have been told they must leave the fort and that their community will be torn down. The community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders. Only of two are remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. Eviction notices have been posted in the community but most residents have refused to move. Residents think Bangkok city officials will start evictions around August 15, but there has not been any official word from the city.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    0813PomMahakan006.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman and her son drive their motorbike past a curry vendor in the squatters' community behind the walls in Mahakan Fort. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions004.jpg
  • 04 JULY 2017 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A produce vendor sells fresh vegetable to residents of Pom Mahakan. The final evictions of the remaining families in Pom Mahakan, a slum community in a 19th century fort in Bangkok, have started. An ad hoc group of housing advocates, historic preservationists and academics have asked the city to allow the remaining residents to stay and city officials have said they might allow people who can prove that their families have lived in the fort since before the 1950s, when the city got title to the land from the Thai military, will be able to stay.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PomMahakan0704011.jpg
  • 07 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A community meeting in the Pom Mahakan community. Forty-four families still live in the Pom Mahakan Fort community. The city of Bangkok has given them provisional permission to stay, but city officials say the permission could be rescinded and the city go ahead with the evictions. The residents of the historic fort have barricaded most of the gates into the fort and are joined every day by community activists from around Bangkok who support their efforts to stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanCommMeeting0907028.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A 79 year old woman who has lived behind the walls at Mahakan Fort her entire life, reads a newspaper in her home. She is facing eviction at the end of April 2016. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions008.jpg
  • 05 JANUARY 2017 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:       A woman and her son look at artisan bird cages made by her family in the Pom Mahakan slum. More than 40 families still live in the Pom Mahakan Fort community. Bangkok officials are trying to move them out of the fort and community leaders are barricading themselves in the fort. The residents of the historic fort are joined almost every day by community activists from around Bangkok who support their efforts to stay. City officials pushed back their deadline and now say that they expect to have the old fort cleared of residents and construction on the new park started by the end of February 2017.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PomMahakanFeatures006.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A man with his pet dove in the squatters' community in Mahakan Fort. The community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions015.jpg
  • 08 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Boys play in an inflatable splash pool in front of their homes in Mahakan Fort. The community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions060.jpg
  • 08 APRIL 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman counts her cash before going out to go shopping at a market near Mahakan Fort. The community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders, and only of two remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. The final eviction notices were posted last week and the residents given until April 30 to move out. After that their homes, some of which are nearly 200 years old, will be destroyed.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions065.jpg
  • 08 FEBRUARY 2017 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman folds her children's laundry in her home in Pom Mahakan. More than 40 families still live in Pom Mahakan, a slum community in a 19th century fort in Bangkok. City officials are trying to move them out of the fort but members of the community refuse to leave. NGOs and historic preservation organizations are working with the community to help them find a way to stay. After several deadlines passed, residents were told that they have to leave by the end of February. They submitted another proposal to the city this week to turn their community into a "living heritage museum" and hope to get the eviction deadline extended until late March.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PomMahakan0208003.jpg
  • 30 JULY 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman hangs her laundry in the communal laundry area of the Pom Mahakan Fort slum. The community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders. Only of two are remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. Eviction notices have been posted in the community and people given until April 30 to leave, but most residents have refused to move. Bangkok officials gave them a new deadline of September 1 but residents still refuse to move.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions0730005.jpg
  • 30 JULY 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: LEK, an artisan who makes clay figurines works in his home workshop in the Pom Mahakan Fort slum. He said his family has been in the neighborhood for more than 40 years and can't move because if he moves his customers, mostly Thai and foreign tourists, won't be able to find him. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders. Only of two are remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. Eviction notices have been posted in the community and people given until April 30 to leave, but most residents have removed to move. Residents think Bangkok city officials will start evictions around August 15, but there has not been any official word from the city.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions0730008.jpg
  • 30 JULY 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A man who lives in the Pom Mahakan Fort slum grills fish and chicken he sells in the community. Residents of the slum have been told they must leave the fort and that their community will be torn down. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders. Only of two are remaining, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could take the land. Eviction notices have been posted in the community and people given until April 30 to leave, but most residents have refused to move. Residents think Bangkok city officials will start evictions around August 15, but there has not been any official word from the city.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanFortEvictions0730018.jpg
  • 27 AUGUST 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A man checks his smart phone on the bank of a canal that runs past the Pom Mahakan slum in central Bangkok. The Pom Mahakan community is known for fireworks, fighting cocks and bird cages. Mahakan Fort was built in 1783 during the reign of Siamese King Rama I. It was one of 14 fortresses designed to protect Bangkok from foreign invaders. Only two of the forts are still standing, the others have been torn down. A community developed in the fort when people started building houses and moving into it during the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). The land was expropriated by Bangkok city government in 1992, but the people living in the fort refused to move. In 2004 courts ruled against the residents and said the city could evict them. The city vowed to start the evictions on Sept 3, 2016, but this week Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-O-Cha, sided with the residents of the fort and said they should be allowed to stay. Residents are hopeful that the city will accede to the wishes of the Prime Minister and let them stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PomMahakan0828037.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: TAWATCHAI VORAMAHAKUN, center, a community historian and leader in the Pom Mahakan slum of the Pom Mahakan Fort talks to volunteers who came to support the residents of the fort. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline009.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Pom Mahakan resident holds up a portrait of Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, at one of the blockaded entrances to the Pom Mahakan community. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline018.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Pom Mahakan residents tussle with Bangkok code enforcement officials at a back entrance to the Pom Mahakan community. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline026.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Residents of the Pom Mahakan community cry when Bangkok city officials storm into the community to start evictions. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline029.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Residents of the Pom Mahakan community cry when Bangkok city officials storm into the community to start evictions. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline033.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   LEK, a community leader in Pom Mahakan, uses a bullhorn to encourage residents to resist police during a forced eviction. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline070.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A Bangkok city worker removes a Pom Mahakan resident's personal belongings during an operation to evict people from the Pom Mahakan community. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline046.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Bangkok code enforcement officers in the Pom Mahakan community during a city operation to evict people from the community. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline049.jpg
  • 03 SEPTEMBER 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A resident of the Pom Mahakan community waits for Bangkok officials who were supposed to evict him from his home. Hundreds of people from the Pom Mahakan community and other communities in Bangkok barricaded themselves in the Pom Mahakan Fort to prevent Bangkok officials from tearing down the homes in the community Saturday. The city had issued eviction notices and said they would reclaim the land in the historic fort from the community. People prevented the city workers from getting into the fort. After negotiations with community leaders, Bangkok officials were allowed to tear down 12 homes that had either been abandoned or whose owners had agreed to move. The remaining 44 families who live in the fort have vowed to stay.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahakanEvictionsDeadline047.jpg
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