BANGKOK — All Chaiwat Luangamornlert ever wanted to do was bring smiles to the faces of children. But sadly, the kind-hearted owner of Siam Park City, Thailand’s first and greatest amusement park, is now calling it quits.
The public will miss this pioneer-in-fun.
“I had my time, but now it’s over,” Chaiwat told NTN. “I’ve built my last water slide. Actually the last time I did build a water slide was 40 years ago already, but you know what I’m trying to say.”
Indeed, two freakish accidents within a few months left one smiling child dead, and others with bloody faces and knocked out teeth. Unfortunately, the tooth fairy couldn’t protect them from this act of God.
“I don’t know what could’ve happened,” said Chaiwat, who has donated thousands of baht to a children’s charity in his decades as an amusement park executive. “One minute the kids were on the slide, the next minute they are on the ground. What happened in between remains a mystery.”
Chaiwat told NTN of when he first rode a water slide on a trip to America in 1938. The rush of water propelling him down the slippery slide felt wet on his body.
“It was exhilarating,” he said. “From that moment I knew I wanted to bring fun to Thailand.”
And did he ever. Besides the refreshing water slides, the park also features six world-class rides. The Vortex is one of the two largest suspension roller coasters in the world, and the Aladdin is a great excitement of centrifugal spin.
Now the public is spinning with disbelief that Chaiwat will sell the park.
“It was a sign of pride that a Thai owned the largest and best amusement park in Asia,” said Prasong Jungkolwitnang, who has three kids. “Now the park just won’t be the same.
Indeed, the new owners are looking to change everything. They want to invest more money, build new rides and make sure the old ones won’t fall apart.
“It won’t be the same,” said 13-year-old girl Pisanee Chinglor. “The new modern rides and safety measures will take out some of the thrill of the rides.”
Critics say Chaiwat might simply be a greedy bastard who refused to invest in his rides until they became so dilapidated that one child died and many others got injured.
But the only greed in Chaiwat’s heart is for the children who he put at risk.
“Everything I do is for the kids,” he said with a tear. “If they aren’t smiling, then it makes it so much harder for me to enjoy my fortune.”
