 | This article is written like a travel guide. (August 2017) |
Ratchaprasong (Thai: ราชประสงค์, pronounced [râːt.t͡ɕʰā.prā.sǒŋ]; also spelled Rajprasong) is the name of an intersection, and a shopping district named after it, in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, adjacent to the Siam area, at the BTS Skytrain's Chit Lom Station and the intersection of Phloen Chit, Rama I, and Ratchadamri Roads. The area is home to many shopping malls and hotels.
In 2010, the Ratchaprasong intersection was one of the main sites of the 2010 Thai political protests. From March to May the Red Shirt protesters occupied a large area around Ratchaprasong intersection in civil disobedience aimed at reinstalling the government under Thaksin Shinawatra. The stage area and the surrounding tent city became known as "the red city". The major shopping malls and five star hotels in the vicinity were forced to close during the occupation. Most residents of the area moved out for security concerns and because of the inconvenience.
After weeks of failed negotiations, the Thai army moved in to clear the Ratchaprasong intersection on 19 May 2010. The violent government crackdown against the "Red Shirt" protesters resulted in the deaths of about 90 civilians and soldiers. Buildings in the area were set on fire as the military moved into the intersection area; this resulted in the partial destruction of Bangkok's largest shopping mall, the CentralWorld complex. Some Red Shirt protesters were accused of setting the fire and tried for arson but were acquitted. As of June 2012, reconstruction at the Ratchaprasong intersection is complete.
In 2014, there were demonstrations protesting Yingluck Shinawatra's government.
In August 2015, a bomb exploded at the Ratchaprasong intersection killing twenty people and injuring 125.
The area once again saw demonstrations during the 2020–2021 Thai protests.
