The streets are beautiful in bangkok

[Sunbelt Asia]

I understand many Hawkers are out of work during APEC but  these sidewalks of Bangkok now look like a city in France or the USA. I dare say they look terrific. The consensus of people in the streets are "WOW" People walking are very much impressed how great Bangkok looks. I'm hearing positive and I do mean very positive views.

If they could just find a place for the Hawkers... but it will never happen. Come Wednesday morning, the city will be back to its old self. Sidewalks crowded with no room to walk.

[singa-traz]

... Sidewalks crowded with no room to walk.

Walking ? ... Must be another Farang idea ?  

As for organizing the walking path ... the challenge as mentioned in another thread is how to clean/modernize, the bangkok we know, without killing the atmosphere.

Singapore has the same types of issue with their renovation projects ...

[seville]

Sunbelt, I find your comment and the longer message on your news letter to be very selfish and I'm not attacking you, but I happen to look at what's going on in Thailand concerning the summit to be rather sickening.

It's another example of the poor being punished for being poor.

It's sad really, that governments will spend millions of dollars to impress big muti-national companies at expense of the poor.

[Sunbelt Asia]

As I said " understand many Hawkers are out of work during APEC"

I also said "If they could just find a place for the Hawkers... "

Once again, I understand that the Hawkers need work. I also can see the streets are looking great. Do I have a solution, to have both? No.. I wish I did. :-(

Please though take a good look at the streets in the next couple days. They'll never be like this again. The Hawkers that pay 20,000 per month in rent and no taxes or Vat is coming back to compete against the store owners paying 300,000 Baht in rent, tax and Vat and be right on top of their window . Who is taking advantage of the system?

Does the country need Hawkers… Yes because otherwise they would not have a job. That’s the crux of the matter.

[taxexile]

my understanding is that the hawkers also pay the shopowners to pitch outside the shop.

they are as much a part of thai social culture as anything else,

and it would be a sad day should they disappear.

in bangkok,i would not like to see them confined to organised places.

long may they cook.

[Sunbelt Asia]

In some instances yes but not Silom or Sukhumvit. They pay the sidewalk police. Nothing goes to the store owner.

The food I agree is quite tasty.

[tutsiwarrior]

I'm thinking that the world would be a better place without wasters that would have Bangkok sidewalks resemble Beverly Hills or Monmartre in the name of peddling some sandwich shop franchises.

Without naming names I would say go back to where you came from, get yourself elected on a city council somewhere, declare that what you have seen in SE Asia COULD HAPPEN HERE to save the world for more coffee and burger places.

Nothing personal...just don't like the idea...

[OzzieMan]

easy solution

Allow hawkers and side walk stalls only in streets where the pavement is in disrepair and the government not doing their job in the first place.

Now we have really cleaned up the city

4% will not have hawkers or stalls

In other words get a grip boy, beautiful streets, the reason for all thes hawkers and stalls is to cover up the death traps they call pavements

The lastest farang game in Sukhumvit Rd

Dodge the holes and keep a straight line

MY best score

25 out of 100

[chonabot]

easy solution

Allow hawkers and side walk stalls only in streets where the pavement is in disrepair and the government not doing their job in the first place.

Yup , 4 % is generous I think , 1 % is closer.