Thais protest against officials building homes on sacred mountain
Officials defend the housing project for judges and other court workers, saying it was carried out legally on government land
Around 1,000 people protested in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai on Sunday against the construction of homes for officials on forested land flanking a revered mountain, in one of the largest shows of dissent under junta rule.
Public frustration has been mounting over the project since aerial images of several dozen officials’ homes – carved into the green foothills of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep mountain – started circulating on social media earlier this year.
On Sunday a huge crowd of protesters, many wearing green ribbons, called for the demolition of the buildings as they marched through Chiang Mai, the biggest city in Thailand’s mountainous north.
“About 1,000 people gathered … since 7:30am to protest against the houses,” Chiang Mai police officer Jirasak Sriprasert said.
Protesters say the mountain, which looms over Chiang Mai and hosts a hugely popular temple believed to hold a relic of the Buddha, is a sacred site and conservation area.
