Luxurious shopping complex to close due to planned anti-Thaksin rally

Three shopping centers on Rama I Road here announced their decision to close on Wednesday and Thursday (March 29-30) after the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) confirmed their rally outside the upscale mega shopping complex.

Siampiwat Co.Ltd and Siam Paragon Development Co. Ltd, which run the luxurious shopping complex, said they would close three shopping centers, including Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery Center and Siam Center on March 29 and 30 following news reports that Rama I Road in front of the three high-end department stores is likely to close due to traffic congestion.
Closure of the road will affect goods delivery as well as transport by lorry into the shopping centers, not to mention customer access to the department stores and their staff, the two companies said in their statement.

Meanwhile, commercial banks located in the Siam Square area said they would remain open despite the mass rally this week because customers need to do business transactions as usual.

Senior executives of financial institutions believe that the rally won't affect the operations of their banking facilities.

All of Thailand's commercial banks have branches located in the Siam Square area, as it is one of Bangkok's prime business centers.

The PAD decision to stage a mass protest at the upmarket Siam Paragon shopping complex from March 29-30 raises fear of traffic chaos in the area, where hundreds of shops and restaurants, as well as more than 40 tutorial schools are located.