PUBLISHED: 5 May 2025 at 05: 22
When some Thai citizens are also dealing with economic hardship, Parliament has received a lot of scrutiny after requesting hundreds of millions of baht in additional funding for renovations.
The People’s Party’s MPs, among others, have criticized the request for an additional budget as wasteful. It would go towards a 4D cinema and the renovation of a little-used pavilion known as Sala Kaeo ( Crystal Pavilion ) at parliament.
The controversial plan includes a demand for 113 million baht to pay for Chulalongkorn University’s Assoc Prof Puangthong Pawakapan’s claim that the renovation of Sala Kaeo was superfluous.
He claimed that because the palace is so hot inside during the day, it has only been used a few times since the legislature creating opened.
Don’t even think about entering after 8am because you might move into steamed chicken, she advised in a Facebook post.
Rukchanok Srinork, the PP MP for Bangkok, shared her position and pledged to reject the request.
The general public agrees that this is unnecessary, she said.
A demand for a 180-million-baht funds to place a 4D theatre inside the complex is another key component of the proposal.
Bhuntin Noumjerm, a second PP MP for Bangkok, raised questions during a council conference on May 1 about whether a film with illumination, sound, breeze, rain, and sound effects, similar to those found in shopping malls, has any relevance in terms of promoting democracy.
Mr. Bhuntin claimed that this is “public money.” What function does this theater perform? Who may gain from it?”
The plan also includes a plea for 118 million baht to improve the light in legislature’s 1, 500-seat conference room, a 117-million-baht resources demand to renovate the political kitchen area and repurpose part of it as a recreation room, and a request for 99 million baht to improve the sound and video systems in parliament’s 1, 500-seat conference room.
The” cinema” is actually a visitor’s information room, according to Parliament’s defense of the initiative.
After seeing user centers in other countries ‘ governments, which frequently have audiovisual facilities, the House decided to pursue the plan, according to Acting Pol Sub Lt Arphat Sukanan, the House’s secretary-general.
A photo of the Parliament’s Sala Kaew ( the Crystal Pavillion ), which has received mixed reviews because it will be renovated for 113 million baht despite being rarely used by lawmakers. Social: Puangthong Pawakapan