Summary：An activist group on Tuesday protested against the removal of seats in Bangkok s subway trains and demanded that they be reinstalled immediately

The Association to Protect Thai Constitution issued a statement in protest of Bangkok Expressway and Metro Co.(BEM), operator of Bangkok's two metro lines, for having removed some seats in its subway trains shuttling passengers on the Blue Line route between Hua Lampong railway station in Pathumwan district and Tao Poon station in Bang Sue district, thus forcing an increased number of passengers to stand up instead of being seated along the way.

BEM earlier excused that the removal of the seats was merely meant to make more space for passengers to stand while riding on its subway trains, especially during rush hours.

Nevertheless, most of the seats in the subway trains remain as usual and only some have been removed to give more standing space for the daily commuters.

But the activist group charged that the removal of the passengers' seats violates the constitution and the Consumers Protection Act of 1979 and demanded that BEM immediately reinstall the seats otherwise the firm might be sued in court.

In its open statement, the group criticized BEM for taking "undue advantage" of its passengers who have to pay the same fare for a subway ride, either with or without the seats.

The firm was suggested to procure more subway trains to add to its existing fleet instead of removing the seats.