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.
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.
