BMA to ask Prayut to intervene in Khaosan spat over stalls

[webfact]

BMA to ask Prayut to intervene in Khaosan spat over stalls

By The Nation 

 

 

BANGKOK METROPOLITAN ADMINISTRATION (BMA) may ask Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to intervene in their bid to restrict footpath stalls in one of the city’s most famous streets.

 

Deputy Bangkok Governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said yesterday that he plans to discuss the matter with vendors and various other relevant authorities tomorrow or on Friday.

 

“We may also submit our conclusion to the prime minister because Khaosan is a famous attraction,” he said.

The ban took effect on August 1. 

 

Located in the capital’s Phra Nakhon district, Khaosan Road’s longstanding street-fair atmosphere is hugely popular among Thais and tourists.

 

The BMA, however, has resolved to strictly regulate street stalls there to ensure orderliness but vendors are still calling for the ban to be lifted. 

 

“We are working on three models to present to the BMA. One of the models is to let stalls run in the morning hours too and in return, we will make sure street stalls are tidier,” said Chonnapha Teansawang, a long-time vendor on Khaosan Road.

 

BMA’s recent restriction allows stalls to operate on the road next to footpath only between 6pm and midnight. 

 

Chonnapha said vendors operating stalls in the morning usually had tour groups as customers. 

 

“We are adversely affected. When the news came out, tour-group organisers cancelled their plan to come to Khaosan Road,” she said. 

 

Chonnapha has sold cell phones and bags for more than two decades. 

 

“I think Khaosan stalls are attractive because of the diverse rang of products in the area,” she said. 

 

Chonnapha said her group was now holding discussions with vendors in a bid to get a solid proposal to be submitted to the BMA for consideration. It is estimated that Khaosan Road has about 300 vendors. 

 

According to the deputy governor, “As of now, about 230 vendors have come forward to register with the BMA.” 

 

He said he recognised that Khaosan vendors had plied their trade for a long time and contributed to Khaosan’s reputation as an interesting tourist place. “But what they do is illegal,” he said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351684

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-08

[Samui Bodoh]

This is a problem of the BMA's own making.

 

Khao San road is, in and of itself, a world-famous tourist attraction, known to literally generations of travelers.

 

If you want it to continue making money for Thailand, stop trying to suck the life and vibrancy out of it.

 

It is really that simple.

 

Idiots.

 

[JennaBurrows]

I very much doubt a military General is going to understand the intricles of tourism in the country. 

 

Stop sanitizing Bangkok, and allow the city to breathe ! People the world over come for it's street culture, street food, markets, not for orderly pavement space or non existant tourist attractions. Utterly ridiculous they are destroying the charm of the city. It will hurt tourism, thus hurt their economy. 

 

 

 

[lamyai3]

Unless they find a way to backpedal out of this very quickly, they're going to be getting some very unwelcome and embarrassing global media attention. No one in the world has ever fawned over Thailand's badly constructed pavements and shoddy architecture, they've never been world class and never could be. The street culture however is unique, vibrant, colourful and a draw for people from all over the world. 

[LazySlipper]

1 hour ago, JennaBurrows said:

Utterly ridiculous they are destroying the charm of the city. It will hurt tourism, thus hurt their economy. 

Why do you care? 

 

You come off as being more Thai than the Thais. Bangkok has no charm and that is why I left it after 8 years of traffic and breathing the nauseating pollution. Been in Thailand going on over sixteen years now and the real charm of Thailand in nowhere near Bangkok.  How many years have you been living there JennaBurrows? 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2018 by LazySlipper

[sammieuk1]

To strictly regulate street stalls there to ensure orderliness requires a sledge hammer then?

[yellowboat]

An elected government might have seen this as political cancer, but not today's junta driven civil service.  If there is crap, they will find a way to step in it.    

 

My first night in Bangkok, 30 years ago, was on Khao San.  It was a truly wonderful experience.  Even now, I live within a 10 minute walk of there.  It was the best part of the city until the BMA decided to change.  Their stupidity is just mind blowing.

 

Part of the problem is that many dried up old prune civil servants offices are not far from there.  They are noticeably unexcited when venturing young and old back packers eat at the same places as they do during lunch, eating the same masterfully made B50 noodles.  They probably want to kill the area to make it more acceptable to them.  Thai rak Thai

[fullcave]

23 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

They are noticeably unexcited when venturing young and old back packers eat at the same places as they do during lunch, eating the same masterfully made B50 noodles. 

And then they masterfully wash the dishes in the street where the rats are larger than cats! 

[Emster23]

BMA to PM: "Please stop us from being so stupid! We're begging you!"

[yellowboat]

11 minutes ago, fullcave said:

And then they masterfully wash the dishes in the street where the rats are larger than cats! 

That is most of Bangkok.   Bangkok is a filthy dump. 

 

I was speaking of the government offices down the street.   Some of those eateries are the best in Thailand for their price, and the civil servants who frequent them are less than excited by the company of those dressed in shorts and t-shirts. 

[lamyai3]

38 minutes ago, fullcave said:

And then they masterfully wash the dishes in the street where the rats are larger than cats! 

They're everywhere, including Government House. From a recent snippet:

"Back in 2008, the Thai Ministry of Public of Health chose to launch a national anti-rodent campaign, which seemed a trifle perverse considering it was the Year of the Rat. The sudden concern over the rodent population seemed to have been sparked by dozens of overweight rats spotted partying within the ministry compound. This was not exactly a great advertisement for the ministry in charge of health matters.

There were unsubstantiated reports that the high-profile response may have been prompted by some of the rogue rodents having the temerity to venture into the office of the boss where they enjoyed a bit of a knees-up."

[Cadbury]

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

“We may also submit our conclusion to the prime minister because Khaosan is a famous attraction,” he said.

The fact that the BMA is referring the matter to PM Prayut suggests the instruction to clean out Khao San Road might have originally come from on high.

I came across a story written back in 2014 after the PM took power and he was reported as moralistically saying "tourists need to be screened and be of quality" which prompted the writer to predict back then that it was only a matter of time before before KS Rd. was cleaned up and virtually closed down.

 

 

[Lupatria]

2 hours ago, Emster23 said:

BMA to PM: "Please stop us from being so stupid! We're begging you!"

What surprises me the most is, it seems like there are still people in the delusion their self proclaimed saviour can fix anything.

[JennaBurrows]

Destroying your street culture, banning street food, sanitizing Khao San Road and other iconic tourist centric areas, will not turn Bangkok into Singapore or a Hong Kong. The two are not mutually exclusive at all. 

 

Singapore, Hong Kong - both ex British colonial states, strong rule of law that was essentially the British rule code and allowed investors to feel safe, low taxes, became huge financial global investment states. They are two of the biggest financial capitals of the world. 

 

If Bangkok hopes to emulate Singapore, it has nothing to do with banning street food. Democracy, strong rule of law, route out corruption, public infrustructure like education, health care system, security, world class transport links, spend billions and billions on projects that will entertain investors to come to the country and enjoy, and a culture that the world wants to visit. Apart from the culture (which they ironically want to destory) Bangkok has none of the other aspects for it to become anything like Singapore. 

 

But yeah let's destory Khao San Road, let's ban all street food from Sukhumvit. Let's hurt 20% of our GDP (that is crazily exposed), but let's not be stupid enough to believe that will turn Bangkok into anything like Singapore. You end up with a damp squib of a state. When the Chinese stop coming (which will happen), the shopping malls close down because of online consumer spending, this country will be far too gone in the sanitization programme to ever recover the faith the tourists have in it.

 

Utter madness. But hey those pavements ! 

Edited August 8, 2018 by JennaBurrows

[Jonmarleesco]

13 hours ago, yellowboat said:

They are noticeably unexcited when venturing young and old back packers eat at the same places as they do during lunch ...'

Can't be easy, seeing backpackers dressed better than they are. 

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, Lupatria said:

What surprises me the most is, it seems like there are still people in the delusion their self proclaimed saviour can fix anything.

Most likely is it's dawned on them they've made a major cock up and they're trying to divert responsibility before it's too late. 

[reenatinnakor]

"... and contributed to Khaosan’s reputation as an interesting tourist place. “But what they do is illegal,” he said."

What he means is, they haven't been paying the right people to keep selling the fake goods.

Before we all became miserable old gits we were all young once, and KSR is one of those must do first stops for the young and uninitiated, a stepping stone to other Asian adventures or just a cheap stay in Bangkok rather than pay 3k a night for a hotel. It's a shame they've cleaned it all up and totally destroyed it's character.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot... You don't know what you've got til it's gone... As a famous singer once said.

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