People Left Behind In Bangkok’s Flourishing Neighborhoods

By Khaosod English

By Sattrawut Bunruecha

 

Thongbai and her husband Buntham operate a noodle stall in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district.

 

BANGKOK — Tuk-tuk driver Kamruay Dandongmuang used to rent a room in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district but had to move out when the cost of living became too high. After the city swept out many of the sidewalk food vendors, he could no longer find affordable meals.

 

“Many people come to visit the area,” Kamruay said. “But they are not happy. It’s an illusion!”

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/bangkok/2017/11/08/residents-overlooked-bangkoks-flourishing-neighborhoods/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2017-11-07

"Tuk-tuk driver Kamruay Dandongmuang used to rent a room in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district but had to move out when the cost of living became too high. After the city swept out many of the sidewalk food vendors, he could no longer find affordable meals."

 

Was that, perhaps,  the same tuk-tuk driver who switched off the meter after arriving at the destination, on my first trip to Thailand, asking for 'double-the-price'? I am not sorry for those tuk-tuk drivers. I hear, Esarn is still a cheap place to live; good luck!

I hear, Esarn is still a cheap place to live

 

You hear wrong  

Yes, maybe it's time for all these low wager workers living in Bangkok to rethink their life decisions and move back to the provinces they came from. Let the people living in Bangkok drink the 100+ Baht Starbucks coffee instead of the 25 Baht traditional coffee and also move more companies outside the Bangkok area instead of how it has been for at least the last 20 years and just put every new development/company in Bangkok!

4 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

"Tuk-tuk driver Kamruay Dandongmuang used to rent a room in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district but had to move out when the cost of living became too high. After the city swept out many of the sidewalk food vendors, he could no longer find affordable meals."

 

Was that, perhaps,  the same tuk-tuk driver who switched off the meter after arriving at the destination, on my first trip to Thailand, asking for 'double-the-price'? I am not sorry for those tuk-tuk drivers. I hear, Esarn is still a cheap place to live; good luck!

so real world gentrification is happening, that is pushing people away from areas they have lived and worked in for many years  - a real social problem that is happening all over the world.

 

And what do you go on about, some tuk-tuk ride you had and the idiotic assumption that they should all just bog off back to Esarn... I wish I could write what I really think about people like you, but I would probably get banned

On 11/8/2017 at 7:50 PM, PremiumLane said:

so real world gentrification is happening, that is pushing people away from areas they have lived and worked in for many years  - a real social problem that is happening all over the world.

So, why don't you buy that tuk-tuk driver a new house, if you feel so sorry for him?

On 08/11/2017 at 2:48 PM, StayinThailand2much said:

"Tuk-tuk driver Kamruay Dandongmuang used to rent a room in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district but had to move out when the cost of living became too high. After the city swept out many of the sidewalk food vendors, he could no longer find affordable meals."

 

Was that, perhaps,  the same tuk-tuk driver who switched off the meter after arriving at the destination, on my first trip to Thailand, asking for 'double-the-price'? I am not sorry for those tuk-tuk drivers. I hear, Esarn is still a cheap place to live; good luck!

 

Really ? A tuk tuk with a meter ?

 

Never seen one of those before but then I never liked them so might have missed them installing meters.

When did they start using them ?

15 hours ago, Denim said:

 

Really ? A tuk tuk with a meter ?

 

Never seen one of those before but then I never liked them so might have missed them installing meters.

When did they start using them ?

Ahem, well, that was 20 years ago, and I was quite a bit hassled on Silom Road there by both, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers, so on second thought, it might have been a taxi driver. (That idiot just turned the meter off at the destination, asking for double the price, even though I had already seen the actual price before getting out!) Anyhow, I have been cheated several times by either drivers, be it double prices, turning off the meter, 'not having change', etc., so, naturally, I am not particularly sympathetic to those guys "not having money"...