The head of the Din Daeng Housing Estate inspection team yesterday confirmed that 20 rundown buildings could be repaired for Bt50 million while demolition would cost much more.

The flats' residents plan to ask the National Housing Authority (NHA) to suspend demolition for five to 10 years.

However, Deputy Social Development and Human Security Minister Poldej Pinprateep insisted that the NHA would proceed with demolition and the current occupants would be given priority for placement in new residential buildings.

Suebsak Promboon, head of the the Engineering Institute of Thailand's (EIT) inspection team, said results on the buildings' structural integrity by the EIT, the Council of Engineers (COE) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) suggested the flats could still be repaired.

However, it was up to the NHA whether to demolish or repair them, he said, adding that the NHA had made up its mind and there was nothing more the engineers could do. If the Din Daeng flats were to be bulldozed, many other buildings in worse condition across Bangkok should also be demolished, he said.

He urged Poldej to study the inspection results in detail before making the decision because compensation for the 20 buildings' residents would amount to Bt400 million, while the repairs would cost only Bt50 million.

He said Bt400 million equalled eight further repairs and 100 years in the buildings' life span. He warned that the construction of new buildings would cost up to Bt1 billion.

If the dispute between the residents and NHA worsened, the COE would issue a statement explaining its inspection to the public, Suebsak said, adding that he believed the residents would hold protests against the demolition.

NHA governor Pornsak Boonyodom confirmed that the NHA board had agreed to demolish the 20 rundown tenements because repairs might not be cost-effective.

Dismissing allegations that the intent behind the demolition plan was to build a commercial complex to replace the flats, Pornsak said the NHA was only concerned about people's safety. The NHA would invite the occupants to a discussion on Sunday from 8.30am to 3pm.

Since the EIT, COE and AIT had not mentioned people's safety, the NHA was concerned and would dispatch workers immediately to strengthen severely eroded sections, Pornsak said.

However, the flats were still condemned, according to Pornsak.

Din Daeng Housing Estate committee member Kittiphan Boonkleu said the NHA decision kept changing and the residents were angry that the government did not listen to them.

Despite the three agencies' report that the flats could be repaired, the deputy minister said the Bt50 million price would not be cost-effective.

Kittiphan said the authorities were only thinking about profit. With the proposed new buildings, the NHA would increase the current Bt300 to Bt500 rental fees to Bt3,000 and Bt4,000.

He said the 6,000 occupants of the 20 flats would meet on Saturday and submit a letter to the NHA demanding that it suspend demolition for another 5 to 10 years to allow the residents to adjust.

"We can't accept that they want to do this so soon. There is a power vacuum and there is no elected government in place. It is not right for them to do this," he said.

Another flat committee member, Worapoj Prathumwan, an engineer at a private company, said the flats were still strong and could last another decade. The residents would fight for their right to stay. He said the compensation for each resident must be more than Bt1 million.

Din Daeng district's public works chief Sathaporn Chusab said the NHA had not yet submitted a demolition request.

Poldej insisted that the NHA had agreed last Friday to demolish the 20 flats because the structures were not suitable for living and the safety of the residents could not be guaranteed, even after repairs.

Poldej said the NHA board must also decide whether to protect itself because if a disaster happened while a decision was pending, they would be held responsible.

The NHA also informed him that it would put up signs warning that the buildings were not safe to live in, and those who remained would be responsible for themselves.

He said the NHA might also waive rental fees because the buildings were deemed unsafe and thus if any accidents occurred, the responsibility would be upon the residents.