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Population: 9.6 million ; Approximately 12 million after people from outside of Bangkok commuted in for work.

approximately 30% population growth between 2000 and 2010

57% share of Thailand’s GDP generated by the informal economy

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Back when I was in Thailand, The alarm rang at 6am reminding me to wake up for university. Phone is the first thing I reached for, checking for updates, news, and especially new photo posted on Instragram. The cold of the air-conditioning locked me with the bed. I never wanted to get up. After a shower, I was having the first meal of the day and deciding which transportations I should take to go to uni either taking my own car or the sky train as the google map had shown the color red on the map indicated a very very bad traffic, however; I still ended up with a car because at the end of the day, there would also be great number of people taking the sky train returning home as well. I then finally got to the uni after an hour and a half on the road due to the very heavy traffic. “How bad could it be even I left home since 7am.”

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http://globalgaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_3284.jpg

http://m5.i.pbase.com/o6/29/819829/1/90258345.BoYa1u8y.IMG_6270.jpg

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The Chulalongkorn University, where I study, is located in the middle of this megacity surrounded by shopping centers, offices, and hotels. During lunch, we usually walked to have lunch at the shopping center and walked back to catch the afternoon classes. If we were done early, we would go for the movie, shopping, or chatting at the café at the shopping center nearby. Then it was time to go home, back in a car, stuck in the heavy traffic for another hour or two until I reached home.

Here is my other-side experience if I take public transportation (sky train). At the station, around 6 to 7pm there would be plenty of people standing in every inch of the platform waiting for the train including students and office workers etc. When I arrived, I would be standing at the very back of the platform which means I would never ever be able to get into the next coming train. Sometimes, when the train arrived, only few people got into the train because the train was already full from the previous station. When I finally got into the train, the seats were all taken, standing back to back with other passengers was the usual thing but that was all I could do.

Before bed, I always chat with my friends, sometimes we do video-calling. I cannot go to sleep without checking Facebook and Instragram e.g. liking or commenting on photos. And that is pretty much it of my routine in a big city, BANGKOK.

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https://i.pinimg.com/736x/31/c6/83/31c683e1561f5a0d98d31d6d7659ce2a--sydney-australia--bedroom-apartments.jpg

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiM9Mqg-tHWAhUMoZQKHTgMCYkQjBwIBA&url=https%3A%2F%2Ft4.ftcdn.net%2Fjpg%2F01%2F61%2F93%2F45%2F240_F_161934596_Kj1DHhvBjuHCB6929vJcmLDNuGNdDnJN.jpg&psig=AOvVaw15itQLb4UyiMYIEd3q_PoY&ust=1507034237287542

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When I got up at 5 in the morning, it often felt like the whole neighborhood had already woken up. I could smell washing powder and children were getting dressed in white shirts and going to school. Indistinguishable sounds became more intense as the sun rising. I could hear people talking louder while they’re preparing their wooden market stalls, honking sounds from motorcycles cruising through small alleys and noises of splashing smelly puddles.

It got hotter as time passed by and I needed to leave my old wooden house by 8 o’clock to catch a truck to my construction site, where I worked everyday. There’s undrained sewage clogging and garbages everywhere. Graffitis, both ugly and highly skilled, could be found even from a glance at a random wall. Most motorcycles commuting through one-lane alleys. There were parents who were sending their kids to school and merchants carried their goods to the famous Klong Toey market located in front of the slum. At 8 o’clock mark, speakers attached to old electric poles started to play the national anthem, and everything but rushing motorcycles stopped. People then continued doing their job after the anthem ended, like nothing had happened and not a minute wasted.

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During my way back to my place, I have to walk pass many houses and I have my own story for each house. In a crowded area, we knew and shared everything with and about each other. I immediately knew who lived in those houses, what were their occupations; even those who sell drugs or have a family problem. Just after the sun set, people started to gather around with their friends who just finished their job. There were a lot of fighting and violence happening. Teenagers drinking and smoking became my familiar view that I had to encounter every day, sharing and selling drugs could be found even when you randomly walked into the dark alleys of Klong Toey Slum.

I walked back to my house, met my wife and my son who had been waiting for me. We had dinner together and had a few chats before taking a shower. After I sent my son to bed, I also went to bed since I had to wake up early as well. When I closed my eyes, I thought about my life in the slum. I think about people, environment, and life quality. Then I think about my family, especially my son, how the slum life could influence him and what type of a person he would become when he grows up. The slum sort of crushes the hope out of you. By the time you’re six years old, you realized that you will grow up with no dreams and no vision – just a survival mentality. Moreover, I was thinking about how my son will be. Will he become like teenagers that I saw when I came back home after work or he can have a better life, the latter is what I mostly hope for my boy. However, this is just a “hope”. A hope that when you wake up in the next morning, everything will change. No more dirty and smelly alleys, no more houses built from cheap and unsustainable materials such as cardboards or low-quality woods. No more crimes, violence and drug addiction. Nevertheless, this is just a hope. When I wake up tomorrow, everything will be the same. All I can do is to continue working hard and support my family at my best, and hope that this can change something even if it is just a hopeless dream.

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https://www.timetravelturtle.com/klong-toey-slum-bangkok-helping-hands/

http://www.borgenmagazine.com/bangkoks-klong-toey-slum/

https://www.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/hero_mobile/public/thumbnails/image/2012/01/03/09/sheds-with-beds-415.jpg

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Thailand as a whole is seen as a very unequal culture, the combination of tourism and big cities to poverty and the slums. The distribution of wealth is clear in Thailand as the richest 10% holds 58% of the country's wealth.

Bangkok is no exception to the divide between the rich and poor. A mere 8 km separates a well known slum in Bangkok, Klong Toei, from a city focused on glam shopping, Siam Paragon. If you are not born with monetary resources or connections, there is little room for upward mobility. Bangkok is known for it’s growing “hi so” population, stemming from the westernized wording of “high society” people. Those who have the money and connections to do what they want, without many limitations from government or legality.

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/15/169439486/bangkok-a-city-of-glitz-a-city-of-desperation

http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=AD6F2B43-B17B-345E-E20A1A254A3E24A5

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Thailand-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html

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Outline & Visual Content: Sirirada

Content: Maprang, Nithiwuth, Teera, Sarah, Abby, Danny, Hamleys & Grace

Presentation: Gavin & Janja

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A slum is a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people. Slums are considered some of the most substandard, low-rise and unhealthy living environments on earth. They are informal, self-built and run by residents, very different from the developed world. Against the backdrop of rapid tropical heat, the unstable tin sheds, and exposure to horrific experiences like abuse, drug addictions, and grinding poverty, living conditions are truly horrifying.

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Thailand has, on estimate, over 5,500 slum communities, and 20% of the capital city’s residents (Bangkok) live in these illegal settlements.

One of the biggest slum communities in Bangkok is the Klong Toey Slum. This slum is located within a few metro stops from huge shopping malls and high-class hotels. It covers around one square mile and is home to approximately 100,000 people (approximately 18,000 families). Dating back to the 1950s, Klong Toey Slum is one of Thailand’s oldest and most well-known, and even visitors to the city can take tours known as “poverty tours” as to some people its considered a tourist attraction.

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Due to the lack of skills and qualifications residents of these slums have, achieving social mobility and breaking free of this life is very difficult. Due to the high rates of unemployment, many residents get caught up in illicit trades such as the sex trade, in order to work by any means possible. It is estimated a third of the countries working age population is caught within these illicit trades, meaning a large population of people don’t have retirement plans, health insurance or any other social benefits. It is also estimated that around 2.5 million children in Thailand do not attend school. Due to these harrowing statistics, social welfare and human development are two of the most pressing issues in the country. However due to political issues considered larger in Thailand, these “smaller” issues are being ignored and unchanged.

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Bangkok, Thailand

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Slums begin with a bad geology. It is surrounded with contaminated soil or erodible river banks which could be extremely dangerous to residents. People in slums were seen to differ from the wider conventional community in morals, norms and public standard (i.e. involved in crimes). Houses that were built are mainly unstable which could easily be destroyed by storms or floods. Air-conditions are rare, most of the houses in Bangkok would at least have fans. Beds in some houses are shared or some would sleep on the floor. Showers may not be available and using the canal or river may be an alternative. Not all resources are available. Therefore we can conclude that this area lacks luxury, sociocultural institution, organisation, safety and economically stable environment.

Mega-city on the other hand are filled with well-built houses that have air-conditioning, comfortable beds, clean water, and nice showers that are extremely stable which would not be damaged from storms. Residents are viewed as higher class or at least reach the standards. All resources are easy to find and varies in grades. Extreme luxury, greater safety, and more stable environment can be found.

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With a continuously growing skyline and sprawling slums, Bangkok is a city caught between worlds.

It’s a place where wealthy cruise ship passengers disembark in Klong Toey, one of the city’s largest slums, and where upscale neighbourhoods are connected by a Skytrain system that passes over tin roofed slums

Despite Bangkok having evolved into one of Southeast Asia’s most important global business hubs, a large portion of its workers still make their living in the city’s informal economy.

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อาหารมื้อเช้าสำหรับคนท้อง-แกงจืดเต้าหู้อ่อน

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XAyvs-จุฬา_เทวาลัย

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โรงงานซีพีเอฟ

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สั่งปิดโรงงานพลาสติกรีไซเคิล5_0

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https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiCyeiD-dHWAhWBuJQKHf2IAHIQjBwIBA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wallpapers13.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F01%2FThailand_night_city_lights.jpg&psig=AOvVaw1q1hY8VL4X_7qyX4frcuiO&ust=1507033600896575

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmegacitiesbangkok.weebly.com%2Fuploads%2F5%2F4%2F0%2F7%2F54071485%2F6780582_orig.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmegacitiesbangkok.weebly.com%2F&docid=Hq7haE8fit87BM&tbnid=lVf43-5hYlLguM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjZ8c7k99HWAhUBw5QKHRdDAYsQMwgrKAQwBA..i&w=1100&h=687&bih=592&biw=1280&q=bangkok%20megacity&ved=0ahUKEwjZ8c7k99HWAhUBw5QKHRdDAYsQMwgrKAQwBA&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelmyne.com%2Fphotos%2Fthailand%2Fthailand-capital-bangkok.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelmyne.com%2Fasia%2Fthailand&docid=KuezW6b-_U3DDM&tbnid=XfuFsZkaAIxA3M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjZ8c7k99HWAhUBw5QKHRdDAYsQMwgyKAswCw..i&w=700&h=300&bih=592&biw=1280&q=bangkok%20megacity&ved=0ahUKEwjZ8c7k99HWAhUBw5QKHRdDAYsQMwgyKAswCw&iact=mrc&uact=8

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Low-income is said to be a general feature of slum dwellers. It is found that 26% of people in the slum have monthly income approximately  $114, and households’ income not exceeding $189 per month. As for employment status, 47.53% have permanent occupation, 15.73% are short-term, daily, or seasonal job, and 34.06% have uncertain occupations. Previous occupations before moving to Bangkok are mainly farmers (48.9%). The majority of the dwellers rent house and land as 56.5% of them pay monthly house rent under $19, and 43.49% over $19 but under $38.

https://www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.130975!/Menu/general/column-content/attachment/259.pdf