The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has decided to allow students in schools under its supervision to wear any clothing and hairstyle they desire at least one day a week.

<div>The end of the Pom Mahakan community – an almost 2-century-old settlement - reflects the ignorance of the Bangkok administration and Thai society about preserving the history of normal townsfolk, especially when the Thai-style costume trend is on the rise.</div> <div> </div> <div>I have covered the story of the Pom Mahakan community as a journalist for the past year. The community population had already shrunk from 300 to around 50 people. </div>

<div> <div>One of the oldest communities in Bangkok has declared an end to its almost 25-year-long fight against a plan to turn their homes into a public park.</div> <div> </div> <div>On 22 April 2018, Pom Mahakan residents held a “Farewell Mahakan” event to mark the end of the struggle to protect the community from the demolition plan imposed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). </div></div>

<div> <div>Along with the removal of the 1932 Revolution memorial plaque, recordings from 11 CCTVs surrounding the site seem likewise to have gone missing. The police have also now prohibited photos and activities around the new ‘fresh-faced’ plaque. </div></div>

<p>Recent news item:</p> <p><em>‘</em><em>The Department of Land Transport </em><em>(</em><em>DLT</em><em>) </em><em>said that despite their positives, Uber and the Grab Car do not provide customers with the essentials that regular taxis offer</em><em>. </em><em>Under the law,</em> <em>taxis come under public transportation, so taxi drivers are required by law to register themselves with the DLT</em><em>. </em><em>The agency conducts a comprehensive background check on the drivers and when problems occur, <strong>they can be traced easily</strong></em><em>.’</em></p>

<p>Bangkok is pushing ahead with the demolition of the old community of Pom Mahakan to beautify the city landmark at the cost of local residents.</p> <p>On 6 March 2017, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) demolished four more houses in the old community of Pom Mahakan.</p> <p>More than 100 workers hired by the BMA were deployed to demolish the houses; soldiers were present to maintain security.</p>

<p>An organisation promoting accessible transportation has kick-started a campaign to demand government compensation for the inaccessibility of Bangkok’s Skytrain system for people using wheelchairs.</p>

<p>A public transportation expert has warned that Bangkok’s Airport Rail Link, which transports almost 100,000 people daily, is at risk of derailment due to lax maintenance. &nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Deputy junta head has backed Bangkok’s plan to demolish the old community of Pom Mahakan as part of a controversial Chao Phraya River beautification plan.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 5 October 2016, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, the deputy junta head and Defence Minister, presided as the president in the fifth meeting of a steering committee for public administration reform at the Government House, Bangkok, <a href="http://www.matichon.co.th/news/310439">Matichon Online reported</a>.</p>

<p>After their confrontation with the Bangkok authorities, the residents of the old community behind Pom Mahakan have asked the city to keep its promise not to demolish more houses, maintaining that their community is also a part of Bangkok’s history.</p> <p>At 11 am on Tuesday, 6 September 2016, residents of the community behind Pom Mahakan, an ancient fortress opposite Ratchanatda Temple in the old town of Bangkok, told the media they fear that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) might demolish every house in the community on the coming weekend.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A tense showdown Saturday morning between a city demolition crew and historic community ended peacefully with an agreement allowing workers to demolish only homes whose owners had accepted compensation to leave.</p>

<p>Despite a looming eviction deadline, the community of the ancient Mahakan Fort is adamant that they will not move away, and has called for people to observe the eviction.</p> <p>After many postponed eviction deadlines and discussions which yielded no results, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) set a new eviction deadline of Saturday, 3 September 2016 to demolish the community behind the wall of the ancient fort of Pom Mahakan,&nbsp;<a href="http://news.thaipbs.or.th/content/255372">Thai PBS reported</a>.</p>