Krabi man says his Monkey Jack was coming down anyway
THE LARGE Monkey Jack tree at the centre of an uproar on social media would have been cut down and turned into materials for a house, had it not been felled for a sculpture project in Krabi province.
“I was planning to uproot this tree because its trunk was getting hollow,” Suwan Mukura said yesterday.
“It could have been used for the construction of my son’s house.”
But Suwan said he finally opted to give the big tree to Krabi City mayor Kiratisak Phukaoluan, believing that it would prove more valuable in the project. His move, however, was widely criticised on Facebook, as many people felt it was inappropriate to fell a really large tree for the sake of an art project.
Kiratisak has called the project “Dying for Rebirth”, and expects it to be a landmark feature in Krabi. Renowned artists Kamol Tassananchalee and Katsumi Mukai have taken part in the project.
“He has a good project,” Suwan said.
“This tree can benefit the public, instead of being used just for my family.”
The tree owner suspects the uproar has arisen largely because Kiratisak was a local politician.
“Had I felled the tree for my family to use, no one would have made an outcry because this tree was my property,” Suwan said, adding that it would have died naturally if no one felled it.
Kiratisak heard about Suwan’s plan to fell the large tree.
“So, I went to his place and sold my project,” the mayor said.
Suwan agreed and decided to give the big tree to the project, which is funded with a budget of Bt1.2 million – paid by the mayor himself.
“The sculpture should be completed late next month,” Kiratisak said.
He believes the Monkey Jack will boost people’s desire to conserve trees.
Despite his action, Suwan said he is an environmentalist and a true tree lover. “Come to my house and you will find lots of trees. Definitely, I won’t destroy a tree for no good reason,” the Krabi resident said.
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