“That a six-star hotel will loom over one of the oldest Muslim communities in central Bangkok raises many questions from the perspective of urban development, cultural dynamics and the dilemmas of tourism.”

The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage is delighted to share with you today the twelfth article from “Heritage Matters”, a monthly series aimed at identifying the challenges and opportunities of cultural heritage conservation published by The Siam Society in the Bangkok Post.

In this article, Khun Kong Rithdee explores the problem of gentrification in Bangkok’s old sois and how it affects the old communities around it by focusing on the case of the community of Haroon Mosque in Soi Charoen Krung 36 and the transformation of The Old Customs House into a luxury hotel.

The full article can be read here.

Kong Rithdee is former editor of the Bangkok Post’s Life section and now is a deputy director of the Thai Film Archive.