THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Social networkers divided over order to end 'noisy' evening aerobic sessions

Social networkers divided over order to end 'noisy' evening aerobic sessions

Thai Facebook users are split over an order from the Ratchathewi district office to end “noisy” aerobic dance sessions in a small public park near the Victory Monument following a complaint from a doctor.

An aerobic dance trainer revealed the order to seek public support for an appeal against the order but several Facebook users supported the order out of sympathy for the doctor while others supported the aerobic dancers.
According to a Facebook post of traine, Ampantita Didtako, the director of the Ratchathewi district office, Thirayut Phumisak, issued an order on October 12, telling the group to stop using the Santiparp Park for aerobic dance sessions from November 1.
The group was told to use a sports ground in the Ratchathewi Pirom Park under the Din Daeng elevated expressway on Soi Mor Leng in Makkasan subdistrict district instead.
According the copy of the order posted on Ampantika's Facebook wall, the district chief said the Health Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration had measured the noise level of the public address system during the activity and found it to be 11.20 decibels, which is higher than permitted.
The district chief said the Health Department had offered advice to the organisers on implementing the workout but as the noise level could not be reduced, the sessions had to be relocated.
In her post, Ampantika said the exercise activity has been held at the park for decades and drew some 300 to 400 regular participants.
She said the doctor who complained had moved into a nearby condo less than a year ago.
Ampantika wondered whether it was fair to end a workout enjoyed by hundreds of people just for one person, noting that the aerobics session was held from 6 pm to 7 pm, a time when most people were not sleeping.
The post has drawn over 80 comments, some expressing sympathy for the aerobic dancers and others for the doctor.
Some wondered whether the doctor was being selfish as the aerobic session had been taking place for more than 30 years.
One Facebook user said the loudspeakers were too loud and that the level of noise was illegal.
Others said the doctor needed to sleep at that time because he worked shifts and needed proper rest to be able to take care of patients.

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