Thai agencies call for crackdown on illegal billboards

A recent report compiled by Government safety inspectors revealed that unscrupulous suppliers have built a maze of potentially lethal billboards around Bangkok. More than one-third of the billboards are illegal structures.

Government inspectors discovered that a number of the newly-built billboards deviated from the blueprint and were a threat to public safety. However, AAT president, Parames Racsjaibun, lamented that the association had no control over how or where the billboards were erected.

"We would like to have more control, but at the moment it's out of our hands, Parames said.

"There has been a lot of complaints about this issue and it's definitely something which needs to be looked into."

Media buyer Martin Dufty, managing director of Optimum Media Direction, said Bangkok was littered with dodgy suppliers driven by big money. "Billboards go for three, four, five million baht a month (US$70,000-$120,000). That's a lot of money, so people take risks," Dufty said.

"You look around Bangkok - there are some huge structures going up. I wouldn't be surprised if they're some of the biggest globally."

Concerns over the soundness of billboards intensified following the death of a mother and daughter after a structure collapsed just south of the city in June.

Tanin Lowhratanasanei, president of TPS Media - the country's second biggest billboard supplier - said the Government must impose size restrictions.

"It is a problem because the Government allows you to make big signs," he said. "I have one that's 15m x 100m on Sukhumvit (one of Bangkok's busiest roads), said Tanin, adding that size restrictions could be brought in next year.