The Royal Gazette has published a regulation from the Head of the Traffic Police Division of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau limiting speed and noise around royal premises referred to as '901 Land'.
Red line refers to the imposed area declared by the regulation.
It imposes a 50 km/hr speed limit on Phitsanulok Road from Yommarat intersection to Panitchayakan intersection. Noise is also forbidden from Yommarat intersection to Panitchayakan intersection, from Panitchayakan intersection to Wat Benjamabophit intersection and from Yommarat intersection to Saowani intersection.
This covers an area that used to be the Nang Loeng Racecourse of the Royal Turf Club, whose lease was cancelled in 2018 by the Crown Property Bureau.
The regulation is signed by Bangkok Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Phukphong Phongpetra, also the Head of the Traffic Police Division.
According to media reports, the 216 rai (34.6 hectare) area is being developed as a public park with a statue of the late King Rama IX, a carpark for Ramathibodi Hospital and a market. However, it seems that this is the first official use of the name ‘901 Land’.
901 is one of a set of code numbers used within the police and military to refer to members of the monarchy. 901 refers to the late King Rama IX, 902 refers to then Queen, now Queen Mother Sirikit, 903 refers to their eldest daughter Princess Ubolratana and 904 refers to then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, now King Rama X.
Since 2020, several political protests have used Phitsanulok Road to march to Government House. It connects with streets that lead to royal premises like palaces. Protesters have often faced large contingents of crowd control police and what look like military men in yellow shirts guarding the area.
On 14 October, protesters calling themselves Ratsadorn 2020 marched to Government House, intending to establish a protest site there. On the way, the protesters were unexpectedly confronted with a royal motorcade carrying Queen Suthida and the King's son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti.
The protest was quickly dispersed by police at around 04.00 on 15 October as the government declared a severe state of emergency in order to quell protests which created a risk of Covid-19 infection and threatened the safety of members of the monarchy.
