Soap opera shuts down downtown Bangkok

04 สิงหาคม 2558

Two-kilometer traffic jam greeted motorists Monday afternoon at Asoke intersection as traffic police closed it down so Channel 3 could shoot scenes for soap opera.

Soap opera shoot in middle of one of Bangkok's most congested intersections, shut down traffic flow in downtown Bangkok all afternoon and made many motorists waiting in their cars very angry.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Stuck in soapie traffic

3/08/2015

Road closures are all too familiar to motorists in Bangkok, especially during rush hour, but perish the thought police will leave MPs and VIPs stuck in traffic - because they always have such pressing matters to attend to, unlike ordinary commuters.

On Monday afternoon, the congestion at Asoke intersection on Sukhumvit 21 was even heavier than usual, with the tail stretching back about two kilometres. But there was no road accident or construction work going on there; not even self-important politicians or VIPs passing through.

In the centre of the intersection were two TV superstars - Prin “Mark” Suparat and Urassaya "Yaya" Sperbund - being filmed for an episode of the Channel 3 soap opera "Waves of Life".

Mark and Yaya had crashed their cars, according to the script, and were arguing over who was to blame - while everyone else with real business to attend to had to wait.

They were surrounded by a production team and traffic police who kept both motorists and pedestrians inconveniently out of the way of the scene being shot.

Pictures of the soapie shoot and the mind-boggling traffic jam it caused were quickly shared online, and police and crew members pounded with criticism by social media members.

"It is a totally selfish act. Many people are troubled because of them. So sick of this," Facebook user Preecha Pum wrote.

Many netizens said such closure on one of Bangkok's busiest intersections was inappropriate, and the production team and the police must take responsibility and apologise to the public.