Bangkok authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance

[webfact]

Authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance

By The Nation

 

File photo: Khao San Road

 

The Interior Ministry has asked Bangkok City Hall to reconsider its ban on pavement traders and find a way to allow them to stay in business.
 

According to an urgent letter from Thanakom Jongjira, a Deputy permanent secretary in the Interior Ministry, to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the city’s 50 district offices should organise meetings with vendors to find a long-term solution.

 

The ministry recommended that the BMA plan remedial actions for the vendors affected by the earlier ban and allow vendors to continue operating for the time being.

 

The BMA is asked to report back to the ministry on the progress of the issues by November 22.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30358551

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-15

[ezzra]

The problems with pavement vendors, and unlike other countries, Thai vendors hogs much more than their allocated space, many don't keep the area clean, don't pay taxes as many of them earn well over a 1,000 baht a day, and if they stay there long enough, you can't move them out without a big cry and demand for compensations...

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance.."

 

I am all for sidewalk vendors being given the opportunity to ply their trade.

 

It is often the sidewalk vendors which inject the sense of life to Thai streets, creating an atmosphere which shows off the vibrancy of the Thai people. Yes, at times they can be annoying or take up too much space, but these are not insurmountable problems; a wee bit of proper policing would solve that.

 

When I visited Thailand for the first time in the 90's, it was the vibrancy, the energy, the sounds, the smells from the streets which were electrifying; I had never experienced anything like it before. And, it made me want to come back, again and again.

 

Now, under the Junta, it seems the authorities want to create a city with all the joy, sterility and charm of an army base, but without the ambiance.

 

Bring back the vendors!

 

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Samui Bodoh

[Chang_paarp]

Some one has noticed the drop in tourist numbers and the negative comments about the "sanitation" of the streets of Bangkok.

 

Talk about slamming the door of the barn to fading sound of hooves.

[lovelomsak]

26 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance.."

 

I am all for sidewalk vendors being given the opportunity to ply their trade.

 

It is often the sidewalk vendors which inject the sense of life to Thai streets, creating an atmosphere which shows off the vibrancy of the Thai people. Yes, at times they can be annoying or take up too much space, but these are not insurmountable problems; a wee bit of proper policing would solve that.

 

When I visited Thailand for the first time in the 90's, it was the vibrancy, the energy, the sounds, the smells from the streets which were electrifying; I had never experienced anything like it before. And, it made me want to come back, again and again.

 

Now, under the Junta, it seems the authorities want to create a city with all the joy, sterility and charm of an army base, but without the ambiance.

 

Bring back the vendors!

 

 

I am the same as you.  I  experienced Bangkok and its street life and fell in love with it. The street life is one of the reasons I chose Thailand to retire.I too loved the vibrancy,energy,smells etc. My first thought when experiencing it was "this is as close I will ever get to experiencing the orient.

  If  I was not married and poor health (which makes internatiional travel difficult) I would leave tomorrow.

 If I want to live on an army base I will live near one where they speak english and serve my foods.

[mok199]

Saddly its the, ''give them an inch and they take a mile'' attitude..

[Katipo]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

The problems with pavement vendors, and unlike other countries, Thai vendors hogs much more than their allocated space, many don't keep the area clean, don't pay taxes as many of them earn well over a 1,000 baht a day, and if they stay there long enough, you can't move them out without a big cry and demand for compensations...

Agreed, but the lack of enforcement from the side of officialdom is also to blame. If instead of taking kickbacks and turning a blind eye, they made sure the vendors followed certain rules, we could probably find a solution where everyone wins. That is, vendors get to sell, the public gets to buy, and Gov gets some tax. But of course this would involve a level of competence from officaldom which is extremely rare.

[quandow]

Pattaya repaved a section of road, beautiful job using cement, and a restaurant on this road immediately set up an awning over half of it and set up tables and chairs right in the flow of traffic.  It took months before the restaurant was forced back into their legal territory. I don't know if anyone got hit during that time.

[sgiandubh69]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance.."

 

I am all for sidewalk vendors being given the opportunity to ply their trade.

 

It is often the sidewalk vendors which inject the sense of life to Thai streets, creating an atmosphere which shows off the vibrancy of the Thai people. Yes, at times they can be annoying or take up too much space, but these are not insurmountable problems; a wee bit of proper policing would solve that.

 

When I visited Thailand for the first time in the 90's, it was the vibrancy, the energy, the sounds, the smells from the streets which were electrifying; I had never experienced anything like it before. And, it made me want to come back, again and again.

 

Now, under the Junta, it seems the authorities want to create a city with all the joy, sterility and charm of an army base, but without the ambiance.

 

Bring back the vendors!

 

 

Fair points made but for those who live here, street vendors are a complete nuisance by blocking pavements and adding to the already serious rubbish issue. In addition, many streetside markets cause a severe restriction of traffic flow thus leading to unnecessary accidents. Only last week, a pedestrian wandering around the outside of street market in Hua Hin was killed after being struck by a passing bus. I’m all for ambience and charm but not at the cost of life’s and grave inconvience to the majority of people.

[seajae]

when you have to risk your life walking out onto the roads because street vendors have virtually blocked the pavement to sell whatever its time to do something about it. The stink of meat/fish left in the heat all day, the refuse in the gutters that in turn draw bulk amounts of rats etc doesnt help, put the vendors out on the roadside and see how they like dodging all the traffic, the pavements are there for pedestrians not  for the benefit of vendors, if they want the vendors back charge them to make the pavements wider so that they are not blocking foot traffic, charge them to clean up after they throw all their crap on the ground, time they started paying a price for making money like the shops they usually block. The new restrictions were brought in because the vendors got out of control, if they cannot do the right thing they should not be there

Edited November 15, 2018 by seajae

[connda]

4 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Some one has noticed the drop in tourist numbers and the negative comments about the "sanitation" of the streets of Bangkok.

 

Talk about slamming the door of the barn to fading sound of hooves.

The Junta and it's perchance for Control in the name of Order basically have driven multiple nails into the coffin top of Thai Tourism by essentially outlawing the exact activities and businesses that gave Thailand it's unique culture that were the primary 'draw' the brought tourists in the past.  These generals seem to think that if all citizens wear old-time Thai period clothing the tourist will come flocking.  Unfortunately they are in utter denial regarding what foreigners consider to be the charm of Thai 'culture' and street markets are rank high on the list;  Celebrating Loi Kratong with fireworks and Kom Lei lanterns and Songkran with wild water-fights is high on the list.  Then they ignore the infrastructure and refuse to make changes that are killing Thais and tourists alike on Thai roads and at sea, and lack of regulation that has created some really scary moments in the air. 
"Control, we must have military order of society! Happiness to the People (leading the country)"
Keep destroying that which was Thailand in the recent past - they'll have Singapore 2.0 in no time.  Imho, that's the point. 
BTW - the Chinese are the canaries in the coalmine. Keep an eye on them. And TAT stats are misleading.  Want to know how tourism is really doing in Thailand?  Ask 'normal' people on the streets.  You'll get a different take than the official government talking points and rosy statistics.

[connda]

4 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

I am the same as you.  I  experienced Bangkok and its street life and fell in love with it. The street life is one of the reasons I chose Thailand to retire.I too loved the vibrancy,energy,smells etc. My first thought when experiencing it was "this is as close I will ever get to experiencing the orient.

  If  I was not married and poor health (which makes internatiional travel difficult) I would leave tomorrow.

 If I want to live on an army base I will live near one where they speak english and serve my foods.

In 2009 I made my last visit to the US.  Spent my last day in Seattle: cold, grey, damp, and the only color of significance being the early daffodils blooming.  48 hours later I'm back in Bangkok in the middle of Songkran.  It was like The Wizard of Oz where at one moment Dorothy is in a Black & White Kansas, and the next she is in Technicolor OZ.  The difference was that dramatic.  I haven't returned to the US since and have no plans to repatriate.  I find the what the Junta is doing to be disturbing, but living in the rural North we find that those folks in Bangkok have about 'zero' effect on what transpires in Northern Thai villages.  I'd like to see tourist numbers increase again.  I have Thai friends who are earn their living in tourist related businesses.  There is no doubt up here as to why there is such a huge divide between the Bangkok elites and the normal citizens in the North.  The disconnect is unbridgeable. 

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Authorities urged to give pavement vendors another chance.."

 

I am all for sidewalk vendors being given the opportunity to ply their trade.

 

It is often the sidewalk vendors which inject the sense of life to Thai streets, creating an atmosphere which shows off the vibrancy of the Thai people. Yes, at times they can be annoying or take up too much space, but these are not insurmountable problems; a wee bit of proper policing would solve that.

 

When I visited Thailand for the first time in the 90's, it was the vibrancy, the energy, the sounds, the smells from the streets which were electrifying; I had never experienced anything like it before. And, it made me want to come back, again and again.

 

Now, under the Junta, it seems the authorities want to create a city with all the joy, sterility and charm of an army base, but without the ambiance.

 

Bring back the vendors!

 

 

"a wee bit of proper policing would solve that". Proper policing???? In Thailand????

But Yes, bring back the vendors, but we do not want a repeat of what lower Sukhumvit Sois 3-21 used to be like, with them blocking the pavement on both sides and forcing pedestrians on to the busy main road.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, sgiandubh69 said:

Fair points made but for those who live here, street vendors are a complete nuisance by blocking pavements and adding to the already serious rubbish issue. In addition, many streetside markets cause a severe restriction of traffic flow thus leading to unnecessary accidents. Only last week, a pedestrian wandering around the outside of street market in Hua Hin was killed after being struck by a passing bus. I’m all for ambience and charm but not at the cost of life’s and grave inconvience to the majority of people.

It is really amazing how many Thaivisa members are very easily confused. But it is understandable if English is not their first language.

May I point out this is referring to post 9.

Edited November 15, 2018 by possum1931

[hotchilli]

They blew their first chance by trying to take over the whole pavement area in every street or Soi

prompting the mass clean-up operation !!

Give a Thai an inch they'll take a mile !!!

[rkidlad]

Sadly many of the vendors forget that others exist. They think they own that whole patch of pavement and often don't care/notice if they're blocking anyone. Hell! Even the ones who are in front of shops now still stick a huge umbrella that's about 5ft tall in the middle of the pavement. Add to that when they get bored and decide to just walk out into the middle of the pavement for a stretch and a look around. Heaven forbid you ever remind that the pavement is for walking on and not for standing in the middle of while gawping into thin air. They give you that look of, "This is my patch of land!". 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

I am firmly in the leave-them-be camp. Sure, they exceed their remit from time to time, but for every vendor on lower Sukhumvit, in Pattaya or on KSR, jostling and spreading to maximise their take from the profligate tourist, there are a thousand poor people all over Thailand, eking a living on the street and earning a few Baht per day in the process.

If you want a city like Singapore - and even many middle class Thais do, I suspect - then go there; I like the vibrancy, the variety and the activity of Thai street life, and the vendors are integral to that.

[mvmvmv]

14 hours ago, ezzra said:

The problems with pavement vendors, and unlike other countries, Thai vendors hogs much more than their allocated space, many don't keep the area clean, don't pay taxes as many of them earn well over a 1,000 baht a day, and if they stay there long enough, you can't move them out without a big cry and demand for compensations...

 

 

So they should go back to their farm or sell their ugly low so pickup to buy a real food truck !

Then no more show off, no more speeding, you are just a street seller !

 

 

 

[metisdead]

An offensive post has been removed. 

[strai8]

TIT give them another chance and within a year they would have put a thousand stalls on both sides of sukhumvit foot paths again . as anther poster mentioned why not allow them to put stalls up in the bus lane so they understand what its like to be forced onto the road

Thank god the junta is not interested in the corruption that all other governments were keen on to keep those polluters alive 

[chama]

21 hours ago, ezzra said:

The problems with pavement vendors, and unlike other countries, Thai vendors hogs much more than their allocated space, many don't keep the area clean, don't pay taxes as many of them earn well over a 1,000 baht a day, and if they stay there long enough, you can't move them out without a big cry and demand for compensations...

Exactly right, but on the other hand this is part of what makes Bangkok....well...Bangkok. So there needs to be some thought on how to keep them there with some control. A bridge too far? Maybe. But now that the vendors know that there are some teeth in the program they may be more inclined to stay with in the prescribed boundaries. 

[Bangkok Barry]

On 11/15/2018 at 4:47 AM, webfact said:

The ministry recommended that the BMA plan remedial actions for the vendors affected by the earlier ban and allow vendors to continue operating for the time being.

 

Shouldn't this have been done BEFORE the ban, rather than after?

[Bangkok Barry]

On 11/15/2018 at 2:51 PM, PerkinsCuthbert said:

I am firmly in the leave-them-be camp. Sure, they exceed their remit from time to time, but for every vendor on lower Sukhumvit, in Pattaya or on KSR, jostling and spreading to maximise their take from the profligate tourist, there are a thousand poor people all over Thailand, eking a living on the street and earning a few Baht per day in the process.

If you want a city like Singapore - and even many middle class Thais do, I suspect - then go there; I like the vibrancy, the variety and the activity of Thai street life, and the vendors are integral to that.

I'm not sure how the fallacy that street vendors are poor developed. Probably because they LOOK poor, but many are not. I know of one who owns four houses. Thais often do not spend the money they earn on 'luxuries' such as expensive cars or holidays, their overheads are small and you rarely find a food vendor, street or otherwise, standing idle waiting for customers. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen that.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

27 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I'm not sure how the fallacy that street vendors are poor developed. Probably because they LOOK poor, but many are not. I know of one who owns four houses. Thais often do not spend the money they earn on 'luxuries' such as expensive cars or holidays, their overheads are small and you rarely find a food vendor, street or otherwise, standing idle waiting for customers. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen that.

So you think that millions of people selling on the street all over Thailand are not poor because you know of one (in other words, hearsay) who owns four houses? Do I have that right?

[robblok]

So you think that millions of people selling on the street all over Thailand are not poor because you know of one (in other words, hearsay) who owns four houses? Do I have that right?

Why are you talking about all over Thailand ? Its only in Bangkok that it is regulated.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

So you think that millions of people selling on the street all over Thailand are not poor because you know of one (in other words, hearsay) who owns four houses? Do I have that right?

 

No, you don't.

[anon537687643]

Some one has noticed the drop in tourist numbers and the negative comments about the "sanitation" of the streets of Bangkok.
 
Talk about slamming the door of the barn to fading sound of hooves.

Sanitation is the word ! Food Vendors are dirty smelly and attract rats with their rubbish, as well as forcing pedestrians to walk in the road !



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