Residents of the Muang district of Thailand’s southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat held a protest jog on Saturday night against the alleged inaction by local authorities in fixing the malfunctioning decorative lamp posts installed along a road in front of the King Rama IX public park.
The protesters used the flash lights in their smart phones as they ran from the park along the otherwise unlit road connecting Mamuang Song Ton, Po Sadet and Nai Muang sub-districts.
The protesting joggers were accompanied by an illuminated truck relaying protest messages through its public address system.
The protesters claim that the decorative lamp posts have been out of order for a long time and not a single agency has bothered to repair them, leaving the road dark and unsafe for motorists and pedestrians at night.
One protester explained that they decided to organise the protest to remind authorities to solve the problem.
The decorative lamp posts have been installed in several places around the country, mostly under the jurisdiction of Tambon (sub-district) Administration Organizations (TAO). Many are located on deserted roads or in open fields and lack proper maintenance.
Racha Theva TAO, in Samut Prakan province, is reported to have spent hundreds of millions of baht over the past several years to install the lamp posts.
Several such lamp post projects are under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission or the Office of the Auditor-General.
