Taxpayers soaked for zoo

Back in 2017, it became clear that King Vajiralongkorn wanted the land occupied by the Dusit Zoo as he created a vast royal precinct that has now seen mammoth construction activity.

In an “exchange,” the zoo was kicked out to a 300-rai plot in Pathum Thani’s Thanya Buri district. That land was reported as being “granted” by the king. It was an unequal swap, but no one dared say so.

Vajiralongkorn and animal. Clipped from SCMP

As the king gobbled up the land, some 1,000 or so animals in the Dusit Zoo were made homeless and transferred to other zoos around the country. At the time the land was grabbed, not even the plans for the new zoo had been drawn up.

The zoo is back in the news, with The Nation reporting that Cabinet has “approved a budget of Bt1.1 billion for the construction of a new zoo on a royally granted plot of land in Pathum Thani…”, with construction expected to finish in 2027.

So, to accommodate the king’s desire for a grander palace precinct, the ever-suffering taxpayer must again subsidize the wealthy monarch, this time to the tune of a cool 1.1 billion baht.

Rubbing manure into the taxpayer’s weeping wounds, the regime declared that the zoo would “honour of His Majesty the King…”. He wins twice!

The taxpayer is soaked again, all for the aggrandizement of the monarch.