Authorities began to raze 54 houses in front of Wat Kalayanamit Wednesday despite opposition from tenants.
About 30 police, soldiers and government officials seized the house of Chaiyasit Kittiwanitchapant, the Kanlayanamit community leader, who has protested against the temple's abbot for trying to evict community members whose houses are located around the temple.
Mr Chaiyasit's wooden house, which was located in front of the temple on a walkway leading to a pier, was partially destroyed and his belongings removed when he was not at home.
Authorities brought in a dredger to help to enforce an order from the abbot of Wat Kalayanamit to destroy 54 homes, a tense operation overseen by the Legal Execution Department amid tight security. (Photo by Krit Promsaka na Sakolnakorn)
"I was not officially notified about the demolition. I left my house out of fear of being threatened because I am a leader in the protest movement [against the demolition]," he told the Bangkok Post by telephone.
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He said Wat Kalayanamit's former abbots had allowed people to live around the temple on the condition that the community paid rental fees to the temple.
"This allowed the temple to have a budget to run activities and maintain its buildings and facilities properly," he said.
But the present abbot, who took up the position in 2003, cancelled all the leasing agreements in 2006, said Mr Chaiyasit.
The abbot also destroyed some historical buildings and replaced them with modern structures, he added.
Mr Chaiyasit said residents of the community were offered 3,000 baht in compensation for the resettlement. But everyone rejected the offer, saying the amount was unacceptably small.
The compensation rejection led the temple to file a lawsuit in 2008 against the community's members who refused to move out. According to the court ruling, a total of 54 houses will be demolished.
Keuakoon Chunasab, 73, a resident, said he felt threatened by the scene of destruction taking place around his home Wednesday
"I don't know where I will go because I don't have anywhere to live," said Mr Keuakoon, who said he defied the court's order for that reason.
Other residents said they felt unsafe and were wary of the throngs of policemen and soldiers.
A workman broke the padlock on a house to begin the destruction of the Wat Kalayanamit community in Bangkok's Thon Buri district on Wednesday. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
Watchara Phromcharoen, the temple's chief adviser, said the destruction of the houses is legal, as the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the temple against the residents last year.
Thirty-three cases were filed with the Thonburi Civil Court in 2009 to sue the householders for obstructing the temple's plans to improve its landscape.
The abbot was also concerned about security threats, because houses block the gate to the temple, and there are many antique objects inside, said Mr Watchara.
"We insist that we will not replace the community's houses with new buildings as many people are claiming," he said, adding that after the demolition, the Legal Execution Department will carry out the rest of the legal process.
One resident, Chalermsak Junsuwan, 58, said community members used to have a close bond with the temple.
"We used to know all of the monks in our childhood. But everything changed after the current abbot arrived," he said.
"We used to play around the historical buildings, but now many of them have been destroyed."
The ancient monuments torn down by the abbot include a bell tower, a pavilion, and several statues -- most of which were more than 100 years old.
Some residents claim temple workers told them their neighbourhood would be turned into a historical education centre.
A large tree has already been cut down to make way for a car park, they said.
"But what we have now is already part of history. Why should we destroy it for a newer one?" asked Mr Chalermsak.