• Wood workers making recycled shipping pallets into beds on their railway line home and workplace, near Bangkok's Klong Toey port. Barbara Walton / EPA
    Wood workers making recycled shipping pallets into beds on their railway line home and workplace, near Bangkok's Klong Toey port. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • Workers making recycled shipping pallets into chairs as a lorry comes from the Bangkok's Klong Toey port gates. The community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back for road expansion. Barbara Walton / EPA
    Workers making recycled shipping pallets into chairs as a lorry comes from the Bangkok's Klong Toey port gates. The community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back for road expansion. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • A Thai carpenter stripping nails and preparing the recycled wood. Carpenters use old white pinewood shipping pallets to create sought after pieces of furniture. Barbara Walton / EPA
    A Thai carpenter stripping nails and preparing the recycled wood. Carpenters use old white pinewood shipping pallets to create sought after pieces of furniture. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • Wood workers building furniture on the busy street frontage leading to Klong Toey port. Barbara Walton / EPA
    Wood workers building furniture on the busy street frontage leading to Klong Toey port. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • A Thai carpenter reads one of the court issued eviction notices to the informal settlers of wood workers, at their railway line home and workplace, on the edge of Bangkok's Klong Toey port. The community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back for road expansion. Barbara Walton / EPA
    A Thai carpenter reads one of the court issued eviction notices to the informal settlers of wood workers, at their railway line home and workplace, on the edge of Bangkok's Klong Toey port. The community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back for road expansion. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • A Thai carpenter preparing recycled wood from shipping pallets and crates. Barbara Walton / EPA
    A Thai carpenter preparing recycled wood from shipping pallets and crates. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • A Thai carpenter, at end of the work day, pauses to smoke a cigarette. Barbara Walton / EPA
    A Thai carpenter, at end of the work day, pauses to smoke a cigarette. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • Tiring job - a worker takes a nap on the recycled wood pallets he is turning into prized furniture pieces. Barbara Walton / EPA
    Tiring job - a worker takes a nap on the recycled wood pallets he is turning into prized furniture pieces. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • A Thai wood worker cuts planks of shipping pallet wood to size, near a Thai spirit house covered in flower offerings close to Bangkok's Klong Toey port. But change is coming. The crapentry business community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back. Barbara Walton / EPA
    A Thai wood worker cuts planks of shipping pallet wood to size, near a Thai spirit house covered in flower offerings close to Bangkok's Klong Toey port. But change is coming. The crapentry business community here is trespassing, according to the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back. Barbara Walton / EPA
  • Thai wood workers making recycled shipping pallets into a bookshelf. Barbara Walton / EPA
    Thai wood workers making recycled shipping pallets into a bookshelf. Barbara Walton / EPA

Business

Thai carpenters face eviction – in pictures

Liz Claus

May 31, 2016

  • English
  • Arabic

On the busy street frontage leading to Bangkok’s Klong Toey port, a group of wood workers have created a carpentry business community within the city’s oldest and largest slum. But they are trespassing, says the Bangkok Port Authority, who want the land back for road expansion.

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