Bangkok Library Digital library and information center for Bangkok, Thailand

Central World Shopping Centre closed today at about 2pm as a peaceful but disruptive rally by Red Shirt protesters shut down the nearby Ratchaprasong Intersection. Many bus services will have been cancelled or redirected.

Walking freely from Central World to Siam Paragon, it appeared that neighbouring shopping centres remained unaffected. BTS services were running as usual and there were no signs of an increased military or police presence.

The BTS Skywalk joining BTS Chidlom and BTS Siam remains open despite significant fire damage to Central World shopping center. A fabric screen has been attached to a short section of the Skywalk, but it’s still easy to view (and photograph) the extent of the damage to Zen department store.

BANGKOK, May 21 (Reuters) - Thai department store operator Central Pattana PCL (CPN.BK) said on Friday it might be able to restore the back of its flagship Bangkok mall in six months but the destroyed front housing the ZEN store would need longer.

Its Central World mall, the second-biggest retail complex in Southeast Asia, suffered huge fire damage after an arson attack on Wednesday when troops disloged anti-government protesters from the surrounding area, which they had occupied since April 3.

The FCO has lifted its travel warning against all travel to Thailand (May 6, 2010) after the threat of political violence has eased this week. The Foreign Office had previously ignored criticism from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TOT) who claimed the blanket warning was an overreaction to isolated problem areas in the country which have seen around 28 people killed and several hundred injured. By issuing the travel warning, many Britons were unable to obtain travel insurance to visit Thailand and thus had no option but to cancel their holidays.

The Foreign Office still advises against travel to Bangkok due to the continued political unrest in the city, and in particular to avoid using transport services that pass protest sites including Ratchaprasong Intersection, next to Central World and Gaysorn Plaza.

Red shirts show defiance at Central World

Report for Tuesday, April 6, 2010.

Red shirt protesters continued to show defiance against the government by remaining at Ratchaprasong Intersection for their fourth day of protests. Despite the risk of intervention by police and military personnel, huge crowds attended the protests on Chakri Day, a public holiday in Thailand.

Central World and Siam Paragon remain closed on Monday despite government threats to make arrests and take legal action against red shirt protesters who have set up camp in the central shopping district, an area popular with some foreign tourists and affluent Thai people.

CENTRAL WORLD AND SIAM PARAGON IN BANGKOK CLOSED FOR A SECOND DAY.

Red shirt protesters have continued to occupy a central Bangkok shopping district for a second day despite stern warnings of stiff penalties and up to a year in prison. Ignoring warnings in the press to stay away, we decided to go along on Sunday evening and have a look for ourselves.

Asia Books at Central World in Bangkok, Thailand.

Address

Central World
Room No. C602-603, Zone C, 6th Floor
4 Ratchadamri Road
Pathum Wan Sub-district
Pathum Wan District
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND

Phone: +66 (0) 2255 6209 to 10

Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park) includes a lending and reference library, mini-theater, and digital technology center. The library has an attractive, modern appearance that befits its location in a popular shopping mall. Its shelves are well-stocked with new books and magazines in Thai and English, and there are many computers for visitors to use. It is located on the 8^th floor of the Central World shopping complex, close to SF World cinema and Central Food Hall.