SITTING PRETTY, A MAN PROTECTS BANYAN TREE FROM BMA
>> Sgt Maj 1st Class Jadej Manopas, 71, is not letting his last remaining banyan tree in front of his house out of sight after the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration recently cut down two of three of the big trees in the neighbourhood.
“This is the last remaining banyan tree. My friends in the community and I have vowed to guard the last remaining tree,” he told the Bangkok Post Sunday yesterday.
The tree stands in the common area of his Rongkram community in Thon Buri district. “It was the hangout area for people in the community for both adults and children,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) told the Rongkram community that the BMA had planned to cut three large trees in the common area to lay underground pipes to improve the waterworks system.
Sgt Maj Jadej and his friends protested against the cutting of the trees. “They were around for more than 20 years. They provided shade for people in the community and to seek refuge from the hot sunlight.”
On Feb 10, they submitted a letter protesting about the BMA’s move to the district office. Sgt Maj Jadej then went upcountry, thinking all was OK.
When he came on Feb 23, he found two of the three big trees — two banyan and a tamarind— had been cut down. The community came out to successfully stop them cutting the remaining banyan tree after it had been cut in half.
Sgt Maj Jadej decided to conduct an online campaign to prevent the authorities from cutting the last banyan tree in the neighbourhood.
“We circulated the photo of the last tree on social media including Facebook. Our online campaign is working. It got a lot of attention,” he said.
“It is the best spot from which to see the sunrise and sunset.”