Asia’s Financial Collapse. Mansions destined to belong to the super-rich lie abandoned in Bangkok following 1997 banking disaster.
These eerie pictures show the mansions destined to belong to the super-rich that now lie abandoned in Bangkok following Asia’s 1997 financial collapse.
The crumbling remains of deserted condominium housing and office towers can still be found throughout Thailand from the banking disaster nearly 20 years ago.
Images show how homes built for wealthy tycoons were abandoned when the crisis hit. And now the huge structures are in sharp decline with many overgrown and boarded up.
Technology teacher Dax Ward visited Nakhon Pathom, just outside Bangkok, in July and August this year to photograph the deteriorating buildings that once housed the rich.
He said: ‘The houses are certainly more dilapidated than they once were, but are in fair condition. Considering that they have been sitting around in the tropical climate for nearly 20 years without much upkeep.
‘They do still seem to have all of the original wooden doors and windows, which could have easily been stolen or taken away for scrap, but most of them still remain.
‘They are easily noticeable from the road as they are very distinctive from the greenery of the surrounding countryside.’
Two of the buildings that Ward photographed still house families, with the company that owns the site providing them with electricity and water for free.
‘The people currently living there are allowed to do so as long as they look after the place,’ Dax said.
Abandoned
‘The locations that are left abandoned are looked after by people of limited financial means, who are able to house themselves and family for free as long as they make sure the property is not damaged or trespassed by outsiders.
‘There are two families, with a total of 10 people, living there in two of the structures, while the other three, including the largest mansion with a pool in the back, are completely abandoned.’
While Ward was on edge with the nature of the rotting mansions, the families living there soon eased his concerns with their friendliness.
He said: ‘The people there are very kind and welcoming, which is true of many friendly ‘everyday’ people that I meet in rural areas across Thailand. They were welcoming to us and happy to have a chat.
‘The initial appearance of the multiple decaying mansions may give you a sense of being in a “ghost town” or haunted space.
‘It was eerily quiet and the atmosphere in the uninhabited areas was a little creepy, but I was certainly more worried about snakes than anything else.’
