Din Daeng residents protest outside Labour Ministry

The 100-strong group of protesters - mostly residents of building nos 21 to 32 - also vowed not to take part in the hearing scheduled for them on Sunday.

Pornsak had said earlier that the NHA would hear the views of residents building nos 1 to 8, which house nearly 600 families, on July 14 and of the tenants of buildings 21 to 32 on Sunday.

The governor insisted that the NHA's decision to demolish the 20 buildings was not predetermined but based on concerns about the residents' safety. Although experts have said the condemned building are repairable, the NHA board said it feared that they might still be unsafe because there was no certainty that they would not deteriorate further after the repairs.

Most residents at the Saturday's hearing insisted that the flats should be repaired rather than demolished. The residents outside the Labour Ministry monitored the talks closely before burning Pornsak's effigy because the NHA governor kept insisting the flats were unsafe.

They also threatened to hold a ritual to drown Pornsak's spirit in a river if the NHA governor organised further hearings.

NHA board member Kwansuang Atipothi said there was no conclusion from the Saturday's hearing and the NHA would continue to hold hearings events for another 3-4 months so that the residents are fully informed before a final decision is taken on whether to demolish the buildings or repair them.

The Nation