Ban Plainern saga reignites old memories
It’s time to be haunted by deja vu again. This month, 10 years ago, national artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit was traumatised upon learning of a new neighbour, a colossus that not only threatened the structure of his house in Ekamai but would also potentially affect his creativity.
It’s no coincidence that members of the Chitrabongs family, descendants of Prince Naris (1863-1947), who live in Ban Plainern on Rama IV Road are having to go through the same trauma from a 36-storey condo project.
Back in 2008, the condo case in Ekamai captured media attention. Ajahn Chakrabhand’s friends and members in conservation circles were angry and terrified. The operators, especially a Singaporean CEO, were also shocked when they learned how their project would harm the artist’s house, on top of other possible adverse effects on the artist. But it was deemed too late to make a U-turn.
Everybody knows it was not the operators’ fault. They bought the house out of goodwill. It’s the loopholes within the law in this country that put our heritage at risk. It’s the lack of courage on the part of law enforcers to interpret the laws in ways that benefit our heritage which made the matter worse.
As for the artist, people in his circle prepared to do battle, almost without hope as they realised they had no laws on their side from the start.
By law, the artist’s green wooden house — though a de-facto cultural treasure — had no “national heritage status”. It was just the abode of an artist. The laws fail to recognise the functions of the place to society with regard to art education. There was no regard to how the Ekamai house could serve as an inspiration to the younger generation.
I remember how the master was let down by an EIA officer who tried to persuade him to give up the fight.
“Believe me, pi (brother), you will never win. The operators are too big for you. Just pack your stuff and run as fast as you can. The condominium (if constructed) will be hell,” the expert said, citing all the problems: dust, noise, vibrations that would cause cracks in the artist’s house, the effects from living near the towering alien structure. As the officer went on and on, we just listened. There’s no use interrupting him. It’s sad when thinking that such a statement came from a law enforcer!
I will never forget the look on Ajahn Chakrabhand’s face. It was full of despair.
But no one gave up. The fight was on. Eventually, there was a twist as the Ekamai house was saved, not with the help of the law or any state officers. The house survives only because the developers happened to have a heart. Unable to withstand the thought of how their fortune would come at the expense of the artist, the operators voluntarily withdrew the project. Even better, they gave the artist some time to collect the money and buy an adjacent land plot. That was when the Chakrabhand Posayakrit Foundation launched a fund-raising project, with the sale of Buddha images that are modelled after a sculpture made by the national artist and other memorabilia from his Taleng Phai puppet production.
The rest became history. Now, the Ekamai house has become a museum, showcasing a variety of Ajahn Chakrabhand’s works which are indisputably a national pride.
Now, it’s the descendants of Prince Naris who face the same troubles. Ten years on, nothing much has changed.
They have to cope with the laws that are not really helpful, indifference on the part of state officials, and a business sector that has little, if any interest in the value of national heritage.
It’s incomprehensible why the Culture Ministry keeps silent. Instead of convincing the developers of the importance of Ban Plainern, it should raise awareness as to why it needs protection from the huge construction project.
This week, the project operators were instructed to revise the blueprint once again. It’s understood that the project will be greenlighted after the operator submits the revised version by next week.
A member of the Chitrabongs family complained to this newspaper that the authorities are acting more like negotiators, asking the family to compromise.
We know our laws have too many flaws. It is known that the EIA report in many cases is just a process that justifies the contentious project. Another major flaw in the conservation laws is that they do not recognise a buffer zone between a heritage site and a development project. But nothing has been done.
It would be too naive to hope all developers have a heart as in the case of the Ekamai house as by then, we will have to mourn an irreversible loss.