Hundreds of cleaning staff and volunteers began cleaning up Lumpini Park after the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) relocated to Ratchadamnoen Avenue on Monday afternoon.
Anti-government protesters flock to the new People’s Democratic Reform Committee rally site at Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue on Monday. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Some protesters organised rubbish into piles before leaving the park.
Cleaning staff from Pathumwan and Klong Toey district offices joined some 300 other park staff in clearing the piles.
"This is the biggest amount of rubbish since they first occupied the park. They left unwanted things here on the last day. But I don’t mind if I have to clean it up. I have many colleagues to help me,” said Sa-nguan Pathummanond, a 58-year-old park cleaner.
Lumpini Park was occupied by thousands of protesters for 71 days and was divided into six designated zones, arranged into villages, such as Lat Phrao village, where protesters had slept in tents. Other temporary shelters and bathrooms made from blue plastic sheets and bamboo were also built.
Before leaving, some protesters packed rubbish, including leftover food, plastic bottles, and paper, into black plastic bags and dropped them at designated areas, to make it easier for cleaning staff to collect them. Materials used to build the temporary shelters had been left scattered on the ground.
After cleaning vast areas of the park, pale green grass was visible, resulting from months without exposure to sunlight.
Taweesak Butr-ngamsak, a 36-year-old PDRC supporter from Si Sa Ket province who had been staying in Lat Phrao village, said he and his neighbours were determined to not leave any rubbish at the park.
"Lumpini Park was like our home. We didn’t want to make it dirty. I was unhappy to see some people ignored their duty to keep the park clean," he said.
A rubbish trader said there were many plastic water bottles and lots of paper inside the park. Some people had gathered and sold them to her. She visits the park almost every day to buy rubbish, adding that it was very convenient to collect plastic bottles inside the park as everything had been packed and dropped at designated spots. It was well organised, she added.
Chalong Kilarb, a 49-year-old member of the cleaning staff, said it might take around one week to clean the park completely, and even longer for the grass to return to its normal colour.
The BMA has closed the park until tomorrow so a security sweep can be conducted.
Deputy City Clerk Banjong Suksee said the closure would allow bomb disposal officials to examine and clear areas inside and outside the park.
The BMA will prosecute protesters for any damage done to the park, he added.