Bangkok's first Waldorf Astoria designed to be protester proof

GlobalPost

A glitzy Hilton-Waldorf Astoria development planned for central Bangkok will fortify itself against invading protesters, according to the Bangkok Post.

But how? That's still unclear. 

The development's anti-protester security features will somehow be "integrated into the development's architectural design," according to the report.

It seems the project's developers are confident enough in Bangkok's luxury market to build a $196 million, 60-story hotel and residential tower but not entirely convinced some future uprising won't target their complex.

If all goes to plan, the towers will rise over the intersection most associated with modern-day protest violence: Ratchaprasong.

In 2010, the anti-establishment "Red Shirts," agitating for new elections, blocked off its mall-lined avenues with razor wire, bamboo poles and used tires.

Before the encampment was cleared out in a bloody military siege, all the "Louis Vuitton" and "Burberry" signs provided a dramatic backdrop for rallies that focused heavily on an "elites-versus-commoners" message of class rage.

Maybe Waldorf Astoria should consult with Victor Kriventsov, operator of the high-end "Royal Cliff" seaside resort that was swarmed by the Red Shirts in 2009.

When I spoke to him weeks later, the unflappable Russian was already laughing through a tale of summoning Thai marines to defend his luxurious resort and watching Brunei guards defend their sultan's vehicles with machine guns.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.