Park next to Apec Summit venue to be closed for security reasons
The Benjakitti Forest Park will be closed from November 12 for security reasons during the Apec Summit to be held at the adjacent Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Thursday.
The park will be used by police and security agencies in preparation for the meeting of leaders and representatives of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s 21 member economies on November 18-19, according to the governor.
“The park is close to the summit venue so there is the need for maximum security,” Chadchart said.
Further details regarding the public park’s closure would be provided later by the relevant security agencies, according to the governor.
He added that the popular Lumpini Park, which is located nearby, would stay open as normal.
The governor also said that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is now “100 per cent ready” for the Apec Summit on its part, involving traffic management for roads around the venue and the MRT station that leads to the QSNCC.
Benjakitti Forest Park, located on a 450-rai (72-hectare) land plot that previously housed the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, has become popular among city residents and tourists alike, drawing between 3,000 and 10,000 visitors on weekdays and 15,000 to 17,000 on weekends.
Billed as Bangkok’s new green lung, the park features pockets of small forests and clusters of miniature forest islands serving as water storage and retention.
