'Angry aunties' spark debate on Bangkok's informal markets

by Rina Chandran

 

 

BANGKOK, May 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Bangkok court this week ordered the closure of five informal markets in a housing estate, and compensation for four women who live next door, bringing an end to the "angry aunties" saga that gripped the city for months.

 

Bangkok's governor vowed to clamp down on such markets, which civic groups defend as integral to the city's economy and colourful character.

 

The promised crackdown is part of a wider effort to modernise Thailand's capital, with authorities also clearing sidewalks of vendors, and removing homes and shanties along the Chao Phraya river to build a promenade.

 

Civic groups say these evictions mostly target poor residents who have little legal recourse, as they have no formal rights to their homes and businesses.

 

"They contribute to making Bangkok liveable and affordable," said Sasiwimon Warunsiri, an assistant professor of economics at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

 

"But they themselves have little social, economic or legal security," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

 

Two of the four "aunties" shot to fame when they went at a pickup truck parked outside their home with an axe and a metal rod, saying they were fed up of having their lives disrupted by the illegal markets they had complained about for years.

 

The tirade in February was filmed by onlookers and posted online, where it quickly went viral, drawing sympathy for the women - who were dubbed "angry aunties" - and the traders alike, in a heated debate about informal markets.

 

The court on Wednesday ordered municipal authorities to pay about 400,000 baht ($12,500) as compensation to each of the plaintiffs.

 

"We agree the markets must be demolished, but I will consult with my legal team on the compensation," Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang told reporters following the order.

 

More than half the approximately 1,000 markets in Bangkok are illegal, and authorities "will get tough" with them, ordering them to shut down or get a licence, he said.

 

Under the military government since 2014, Bangkok has sought a "dramatic reduction" in the number of vendors in public spaces, according to HomeNet Thailand, an organisation of informal workers.

 

Authorities say they are removing encroachers to make public spaces and riverfront areas accessible to more people.

 

They are not alone: with Asian cities striving to become more international and lure investment, street vendors are viewed as a hindrance, and as usurpers of public spaces claimed by formal businesses, residents and pedestrians.

 

Most vendors in Bangkok are unauthorised, right groups estimate. Many are migrants from rural areas who moved in search of better economic opportunities.

 

"Authorities have tended to allow informal markets to operate because they are popular with residents, but we may see a stricter clamp-down if more people complain," Sasiwimon said.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-19

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

More than half the approximately 1,000 markets in Bangkok are illegal, and authorities "will get tough" with them, ordering them to shut down or get a licence, he said.

Where can we ask for tax money back?

 

Because it appears they have not been doing THEIR WORK in the past couple of years (or even decades).

 

Freaking 500 illegal markets. And nobody within government can be arsed to get out of their office and check permits?

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"They contribute to making Bangkok liveable ... said Sasiwimon Warunsiri ...

Not, I imagine, if they're on your doorstep.

i dont really mind the street vendors but i mind their lack of hygiene and the mess they leave about. i think that regulations and control are a good starting point, they should not disappear but they should be respectful and clean. 

Yeh, sick of them. Same crap different market. Just a traffic jam to look and buy the same crap. I dont get it. Usually cheaper from the shops. We used to buy market food and now buy shopping once a month from makro. Its a quater of the cost per month and no diarrhea!

They are a damn nuisance, unregulated, blocking pavements, dirty and unhygienic. There are enough shops and legal markets without them, get them gone.

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The promised crackdown is part of a wider effort to modernise Thailand's capital, with authorities also clearing sidewalks of vendors, and removing homes and shanties along the Chao Phraya river to build a promenade.

Part of Thailand's "modernisation" needs to be welfare, if they're going to take people's livelihoods away.

 

Part of the reason that Thailand has such low unemployment (and cheap food) is down to people being very poorly regulated. You can't really say you want to suddenly regulate and modenise without taking care of the members of society who cannot find work.

5 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Where can we ask for tax money back?

 

Because it appears they have not been doing THEIR WORK in the past couple of years (or even decades).

 

Freaking 500 illegal markets. And nobody within government can be arsed to get out of their office and check permits?

Next move will to be to compensate the illegal vendors according to this ideology. Instead of making these compensations use the money

to set up lots throughout the city where people frequent these vendors

 

A Win Win

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

authorities also clearing sidewalks of vendors

Here's how China deals with illegal encroachments on public property.

 

 

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Bangkok's governor vowed to clamp down on such markets, which civic groups defend as integral to the city's economy and colourful character.

 

The civic groups are right: Illegal activities, also known as crimes, have become an integral part of the city's economy and character.

On 5/19/2018 at 8:31 PM, Darcula said:

Here's how China deals with illegal encroachments on public property.

 

 

would a garbagetruck not be much easier