🗳️ Happy Election Day! Polls close at 5 p.m. Live results are on the city’s official website here. Check out a Thai PBS World’s election roundtable featuring seven Bangkok-based foreigners on the city’s issues and progress — some are Soiciety readers.

At least 3 million people live and work in Bangkok without being registered there — about 33% of Thailand’s 9.25 million unofficial population, according to the National Statistical Office.

Why it matters: Only 4.5 million registered Bangkok residents can vote today. Millions who depend on the city’s services have no say in who runs them.

Between the lines: Thailand’s budget system allocates per-capita funding based on household registration. That means millions of unregistered residents are invisible in the formula used to fund the city.

The intrigue: The United Nations puts Bangkok’s urban population at 18.2 million people for 2025, according to its World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report.

A fatal canopy collapse at a century-old shophouse near Wat Traimit last weekend revealed a legal gap that leaves tens of thousands of aging buildings in limbo.

Why it matters: Thailand’s 1979 building inspection law mandates regular checks for nine types of structures. Two- and three-story shophouses aren’t among them.

Big picture: Bangkok has roughly 400,000 shophouses, with close to 100,000 old enough to be at risk, according to former Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt. They’re concentrated in older districts such as Samphanthawong and Phra Nakhon.

The catch: Owners wanting to renovate often can’t. Current law mandates modern standards, like parking and fire escapes, that are nearly impossible for shophouses on narrow old city streets to meet. Many are left to decay.

State of play: The city council advanced a bill allowing pre-2000 shophouses to be renovated without meeting current standards. However, the bill lapsed when the council’s term ended before final approval.

Zooming in: Under the draft, owners would still need to maintain a covered front walkway at least two meters wide, install fire alarms and suppression systems and keep all exit signs lit and accessible.

What’s next: The incoming governor or council would need to restart the bill process.

The Transport Ministry is exploring two canal boat programs in Khlong Phasi Charoen to ease rush-hour commutes along narrow roads.

Why it matters: A recent study mapped 648 private boats already operating in Thonburi’s canals. Researchers say they’re underutilized and cut off from formal transit networks due to poor infrastructure.

State of play: The school boat would serve 14 schools along Khlong Phasi Charoen, using Bangkok’s existing idle ferry fleet. The taxi boat would connect Bang Wa Station to Wat Paknam, Talat Phlu and Bang Luang Floating Market.

What’s next: Deputy Transport Minister Sanphet Bunyamani said officials will study demand and route feasibility before launch, with plans to expand to other canals if the pilot succeeds.

Flashback: Bangkok ran electric boats in Khlong Phasi Charoen until 2022, when ridership dropped more than 90%.

On the 94th anniversary of Thailand’s 1932 revolution, two civic groups petitioned lawmakers to protect the Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Road.

Why it matters: The government says there’s no plan to move or demolish the monument, but watchdog groups aren’t reassured.

Big picture: The area is undergoing subway construction. Every South Purple Line station was designed to reflect nearby landmarks, but the Democracy Monument station’s design makes no mention of the monument directly above its exit.

Between the lines: Observers see it as a part of a broader pattern of gradually “erasing” 1932-era symbols from the avenue’s identity.

Flashback: In 2018, the Constitution Defense Monument in Lak Si was removed without explanation. Before that, a plaque marking the 1932 revolution disappeared from the royal plaza. Both remain missing.

Central Pattana and Ikano Centres are investing 6 billion baht to expand Mega Bangna. The mall’s biggest overhaul in 14 years adds 170,000 square meters of retail space and 1,750 parking spots by 2028.

Why it matters: It’s not the only project reshaping eastern Bangkok. Bangkok Mall in Bang Na, which would include an 18,000-seat arena, and Cloud 11 in Udom Suk are already under construction nearby.

State of play: The full “Mega City” master plan covers 1.3 million square meters of retail, hotel, office and residential space, targeting 70 billion baht in total project value by 2040.

Soiciety hosted two walks this month in Asok, highlighting fragmented authority over Bangkok infrastructure and how the city’s governance structure often leaves winning candidates unable to keep their promises.

🚀 I’m trying to bring local news offline. Stay tuned for future events and please email me with any suggestions!

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