Ratchaprasong

Ratchaprasong (Thai: ราชประสงค์, pronounced [râːt.t͡ɕʰā.prā.sǒŋ]; also spelled Rajprasong) is the name of an intersection, and a shopping district named after it, in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, adjacent to the Siam area, at the BTS Skytrain's Chit Lom Station and the intersection of Phloen Chit, Rama I, and Ratchadamri Roads. The area is home to many shopping malls and hotels.

Ratchaprasong junction and the Erawan Shrine, January 2015
Ratchaprasong (light green) adjacent to Siam District (yellow) in Pathum Wan

Attractions
Central World
Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel
Gaysorn Shopping Mall
Red Shirts demonstration at the junction (2010)
  • Erawan Shrine – A Hindu/Buddhist shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, that houses a statue of four-faced Brahma Sahampati, has regular dance performances put on by a troupe paid by worshippers whose prayers at the shrine were answered.
  • Five other shrines are located in the area as well: Phra Laksami (Lakshmi), Phra Trimurati (Trimurti), Phra Khanet (Ganesh), Phra In (Indra), and Phra Narai Song Suban (Narayana on his garuda).[1][2][3]
  • Festive season lights – Every year around Christmas and New Year, Ratchaprasong is heavily decorated with lights. The decorations were started by Peninsular Plaza and The Regent hotel (now Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok), and later expanded to Sogo (now a part of Amarin Plaza), CentralWorld, Central Chidlom, and Gaysorn. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also provides lights along the BTS Skytrain pillars. During the period, it is the brightest lit area of Bangkok.
  • Foreign Correspondents' Club Thailand – Located in the penthouse of the Maneeya Building, the FCCT hosts guest speakers, talks on current events, movie screenings, and art and photographic exhibitions.

Shopping
  • Central Chidlom – Flagship department store of Thailand's biggest retail chain.
  • CentralWorld – Southeast Asia's second largest shopping mall.
  • Gaysorn – An upscale shopping centre devoted to designer-label luxury goods.
  • Amarin Plaza – Formerly the Sogo Department Store, has shops devoted to Thai traditional arts and handicrafts as well as restaurants and other retailers.
  • Big C Ratchadamri – Has shops, fitness centre, and 10-screen EGV Metropolis cineplex.

Hotels
  • Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok – Built on the site of the original Erawan Bangkok; also has a shopping arcade
  • Holiday Inn Bangkok
  • Intercontinental Bangkok – Has connecting bridge to Gaysorn through its President Tower shopping arcade.
  • Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel – Formerly Four Seasons and The Regent Bangkok, at BTS Ratchadamri Station.
  • Hansar Hotel, at BTS Ratchadamri Station
  • Sawasdee Langsuan Inn (Chit Lom–Sukhumwit) 93/4 Soi Lang Suan 5, Phloen Chit Road, Bangkok.
  • Arnoma Hotel, Bangkok

Transportation

Incidents

In 2010, the Ratchaprasong intersection was one of the main sites of the 2010 Thai political protests. From March to May the Red Shirt protesters occupied a large area around Ratchaprasong intersection in civil disobedience aimed at reinstalling the government under Thaksin Shinawatra. The stage area and the surrounding tent city became known as "the red city". The major shopping malls and five star hotels in the vicinity were forced to close during the occupation. Most residents of the area moved out for security concerns and because of the inconvenience.[4]

After weeks of failed negotiations, the Thai army moved in to clear the Ratchaprasong intersection on 19 May 2010. The violent government crackdown against the "Red Shirt" protesters resulted in the deaths of about 90 civilians and soldiers. Protestors set fire to buildings in the area; this resulted in the partial destruction of Bangkok's largest shopping mall, the CentralWorld complex.[5] As of June 2012, reconstruction at the Ratchaprasong intersection is complete.

In 2014, there were demonstrations protesting Yingluck Shinawatra's government.[6][7]

In August 2015, a bomb exploded at the Ratchaprasong intersection killing twenty people and injuring 125.[8][9]

See also

References
  1. http://www.tour-bangkok-legacies.com/lakshmi-shrine.html
  2. http://www.thailandsworld.com/en/bangkok/bangkok-temples/hindu-shrines-at-ratchaprasong-bangkok/index.cfm
  3. http://lifes-indulgences.blogspot.ch/2007/11/hindu-shrines-around-bangkok.html
  4. "Thailand red-shirts mark Bangkok protest anniversary". BBC News. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. The Fire Critic. "World Trade Center Bangkok "Central World Mall" Burns". Fire Critic. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  6. Thomas Fuller (January 13, 2014). "Protesters, Angry at Premier, Fill Bangkok's Central Business District". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  7. "Bangkok bomb kills 2 in another attack on anti-government protesters". Al Jazeera America. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. "Deadly bomb blast rocks central Bangkok". BBC News. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  9. Thomas Fuller (August 17, 2015). "Explosion in Bangkok Kills at Least 12". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2015.

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