Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
young people shopping in the market and enjoying the theatre. Burapha remained a fash-
ionable district through the 1950s and 60s, when the clearance of the old palace allowed
the building of three new cinemas, the King, the Queen and the Grand, all showing the
latest Hollywood films. Also dating from the early post-war years were the Merry King
department store, and the opening of many new shops selling famous brand-name goods
of the day, along with fashionable electric lighting and other interior décor products and
consumer goods. Eventually, in the 1960s, Burapha was eclipsed by the construction of
Siam Square, which became the trendy hangout of the day (a position it retains even now).
Ming Muang Market was cleared away, and Old Siam Plaza built on the site. Originally
the Plaza was meant to be a centre for jewellery and gold shops, of which there are many
in this immediate neighbourhood, some being run by Chinese descended from the shop-
keepers who moved in when Pahurat was built. This didn't work out but today Old Siam
is a thriving shopping mall for clothes, so the spirit of the old market lives on.
Although there is much in the Pahurat area to tempt buyers, local and foreign alike,
there is one thriving little district of shops where you almost certainly won't be able to
buy anything. Along Burapha Road, east of the Chalerm Krung Royal Theatre, are a great
number of gun shops. Anyone wishing to legally purchase a gun in Thailand will come to
one of these shops, which also sell accessories and ammunition. Most of the guns sold are
imported, as Thailand does not have a significant legitimate firearms industry, and there
is a heavy import duty. Thais can buy guns, of course, but much official documentation is
required, including proof of income, employment and address, along with fingerprinting
and a background check for a criminal record. A foreign purchaser will need to supply the
same information. Given that the whole purchasing process takes about a month, and that
prices are deliberately high, there are few foreign customers. But for Thais with the right
money and background, wishing to defend themselves and their homes, or who shoot as a
hobby, this small area is where almost any kind of gun can be purchased.
