Bangkok Klong Tom vendors seek sympathy to continue trading

[webfact]

Klong Tom vendors seek sympathy to continue trading



BANGKOK: -- More than 500 sidewalk vendors from Klong Tom, the country's largest sidewalk market that sell everything from spare car parts, DVDs and CDs, electronic devices to clothing items and toys, held a rally in front of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) head-office seeking a reprieve in continuing their businesses after they were told to end their illegal sidewalk and road trade today.

They wanted to continue their business in this well-known market with promise to self regulate their sidewalk vending, blaming foreign vendors occupying roads with their pushcarts as causes of traffic jams and blocking traffic in the areas.

They rallied at the BMA head-office as their representatives were summoned by BMA’s Pomprab district officer for a meeting to reorganise this market after the deadline for sidewalk trades ended today under the policy of the military junta to return sidewalks to pedestrians.

The vendors claimed they were not the cause of traffic problems. Instead those causing traffic problems are foreign vendors who entered the market with their carts and placed their carts at their convenience.

But they said they would now help authorities to prevent these foreign vendors from breaking traffic laws, and. pleaded for sympathy to continue doing businesses in the market.

Klong Tom covers a large areas of Luang, Worachak and Charoenkrung, Sua Pa roads and several thousands of vendors are illegally occupying sidewalks to put up stalls on sidewalks, and even on the roads to trade, thus blocking traffic and causing traffic jams.

Worst traffic is reported at weekend, especially on Saturday night when the whole area is turned into to a large night market where several tens of thousands of shoppers are attracted to visit.

The market has everything to sell from stolen items to second hand and brand new merchandises displayed in stalls and pavement. There is also a three-storey Klong Tom Centre where car accessories and toys are for sale.

It is also a must-visit for those who find pleasure in obsolete fashion or objects.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/klong-tom-vendors-seek-sympathy-continue-trading


-- Thai PBS 2014-12-23

[kkerry]

those pesky foreigners at it again... ruining everything for the locals...

[worgeordie]

Blaming foreigners again,Thai's never want to take

responsibility for anything.

regards Worgeordie

[JOC]

>>But they said they would now help authorities to prevent these foreign vendors from breaking traffic laws, and. pleaded for sympathy to continue doing businesses in the market<< Quote

Xenophobia rears its ugly head again!!

[WhamBam]

Yeah, it's all OUR fault.

[Bluespunk]

Shut them all down.

[JOC]

Me, me, me!!

Of course no consideration for the shop-owners, who pay rent, and which shop entrances they are blocking!!

Well done to the government to return the sidewalks to the pedestrians!!

[iReason]

"...sell everything from spare car parts, DVDs and CDs, electronic devices to clothing items and toys..."

Thai PBS neglected to include the word; Counterfeit in that sentence.

"The market has everything to sell from stolen items to second hand and brand new merchandises displayed in stalls and pavement."

Oh, ok. Carry on then...

Edited December 23, 2014 by iReason

[bkkgooner]

Bloody foreigners blocking pavements again....

[berybert]

Foreign cart pushers, No visa to be working. How much do these have to pay to keep their carts on the road ?

[ezzra]

It is because of too much sympathy and apathy this country is in such disarray, everybody want

sympathy and forgiveness, the mass continue to reek havoc in law and order in this country..

[JeremyBowskill]

Take yer stolen cax and p1ss off with it, everyone's to blame as usual other than the actual people who are blocking the sidewalk. Little to <deleted> all sympathy for them from me.

[webfact]

Klong Tom vendors allowed to stay two more months at same places



BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) agreed to allow vendors to continue businesses at Klong Tom market for two months, ending at the end of February next year.

The agreement was reached after the meeting between representatives of the sidewalk vendors and the BMA executives at Pomprab district office on Tuesday.

Vendors earlier demanded a reprieve of six months when the deadline for them to evict from Klong Tom market expires end of December.

They said the forced eviction end of this year was too close for them to prepare and needed more time before leaving.

But BMA advisor Pol Maj Gen Vichai Sangprapai said only two-month reprieve could be permitted

However he said the two-month reprieve would be forwarded to the Ministry of Interior and the military junta to reconsider.

The advisor said the eviction of all sidewalk vendors in Klong Tom was necessary following complaints from the people about traffic problems, congestion of sidewalk stalls, illegal trade, and drug trafficking, posing safety risk to visitors to the areas..

Besides the traffic problem in this large market areas also obstructs convenient access by fire trucks to a BMA hospital in the vicinity in case of fire, he said.

He said vendors also demanded that evicted vendors should be given new place to trade where shoppers could travel to conveniently, not far away from Klong Tom, be a large area, and no extra charge are collected.

Besides the new location to accommodate all evicted vendors from Klong Tom must be a commercial viable areas where public transport is available.

They also proposed that Klong Tom should be upgraded to a walking street same as what BMA has turned sidewalks on Silom road to walking street at weekends.

But he said this was beyond his authority to consider as it needed approval from the Ministry of Interior and the military junta.

He said Klong Tom must be returned to the people to shop freely with no mafia-like extortion or protection fee payments by vendors to any influential people like in the past.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/klong-tom-vendors-allowed-stay-two-months-places


-- Thai PBS 2014-12-23

[JeremyBowskill]

Klong Tom vendors allowed to stay two more months at same places

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) agreed to allow vendors to continue businesses at Klong Tom market for two months, ending at the end of February next year.

The agreement was reached after the meeting between representatives of the sidewalk vendors and the BMA executives at Pomprab district office on Tuesday.

Vendors earlier demanded a reprieve of six months when the deadline for them to evict from Klong Tom market expires end of December.

They said the forced eviction end of this year was too close for them to prepare and needed more time before leaving.

But BMA advisor Pol Maj Gen Vichai Sangprapai said only two-month reprieve could be permitted

However he said the two-month reprieve would be forwarded to the Ministry of Interior and the military junta to reconsider.

The advisor said the eviction of all sidewalk vendors in Klong Tom was necessary following complaints from the people about traffic problems, congestion of sidewalk stalls, illegal trade, and drug trafficking, posing safety risk to visitors to the areas..

Besides the traffic problem in this large market areas also obstructs convenient access by fire trucks to a BMA hospital in the vicinity in case of fire, he said.

He said vendors also demanded that evicted vendors should be given new place to trade where shoppers could travel to conveniently, not far away from Klong Tom, be a large area, and no extra charge are collected.

Besides the new location to accommodate all evicted vendors from Klong Tom must be a commercial viable areas where public transport is available.

They also proposed that Klong Tom should be upgraded to a walking street same as what BMA has turned sidewalks on Silom road to walking street at weekends.

But he said this was beyond his authority to consider as it needed approval from the Ministry of Interior and the military junta.

He said Klong Tom must be returned to the people to shop freely with no mafia-like extortion or protection fee payments by vendors to any influential people like in the past.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/klong-tom-vendors-allowed-stay-two-months-places

-- Thai PBS 2014-12-23

Look at all those happy foreign faces!

[terryp]

while all the legit business who pay rents etc continue to loose because customers cant get into their shops etc..what an idiotic place this is

[ldiablo]

Typical Thai style. Blame it on someone else.

[inzman]

They want fairness, return the sidewalks to the public that paid for them. In addition, they demand to not pay rent? Fairness, pay rent! Scum of society, they want want want. Legit business's have expenses.

[impulse]

I go to Chinatown 3 or 4 Sundays a month and 1 or 2 Saturdays. I love it- just like it is. Chaos rules, but it's carefully dialed in over years and years.

I've taken coworkers to Chinatown who had never been there in years of working in Thailand. It's that easy to avoid.

If you don't like the decades old cultural experience that is Chinatown, go elsewhere. It's that easy.

If they do run off the street vendors, they'll be putting an end to the livelihoods made generation after generation. And turning another unique gem of Bangkok into another boring, sanitized city with lots of shopping malls and probably a Starbucks on every corner.

I actually witnessed it happening in the early 2000's to the city where I worked in China. From robust, fascinating street markets, they created wider, boring roads so traffic could move a little faster. It didn't work. Traffic was still all snarled up, because so many more cars chose that faster route that it was no faster at all.

I'll mourn the day they screw up Chinatown by sanitizing it. And thousands of other regular customers and millions of tourists each year will mourn with me, along with the vendors who have lost their means of making a living.

And to inzman, between the vendors and tens of thousands of browsers and residents enjoying it every weekend, they ARE the public that paid for the sidewalks. And the vendors don't want to pay "no rent". They just don't want to get forced into an area where they have to pay more "rent" than they already do. (Rent-corruption = potato-potato)

Edited December 23, 2014 by impulse

[teatree]

I go to Chinatown 3 or 4 Sundays a month and 1 or 2 Saturdays. I love it- just like it is. Chaos rules, but it's carefully dialed in over years and years.

I've taken coworkers to Chinatown who had never been there in years of working in Thailand. It's that easy to avoid.

If you don't like the decades old cultural experience that is Chinatown, go elsewhere. It's that easy.

If they do run off the street vendors, they'll be putting an end to the livelihoods made generation after generation. And turning another unique gem of Bangkok into another boring, sanitized city with lots of shopping malls and probably a Starbucks on every corner.

I actually witnessed it happening in the early 2000's to the city where I worked in China. From robust, fascinating street markets, they created wider, boring roads so traffic could move a little faster. It didn't work. Traffic was still all snarled up, because so many more cars chose that faster route that it was no faster at all.

I'll mourn the day they screw up Chinatown by sanitizing it. And thousands of other regular customers and millions of tourists each year will mourn with me, along with the vendors who have lost their means of making a living.

And to inzman, between the vendors and tens of thousands of browsers and residents enjoying it every weekend, they ARE the public that paid for the sidewalks. And the vendors don't want to pay "no rent". They just don't want to get forced into an area where they have to pay more "rent" than they already do. (Rent-corruption = potato-potato)

The problem is that it's not just Chinatown where market stalls are obstructing public spaces - it's in every part of Bangkok so you can't avoid it. Having to walk in the road because the pavement is clogged up with stalls and people is very 3rd worldish.

Surely a sensible medium can be reached where markets can still trade but with consideration given to pedestians and motorists.

[cloudos]

Not sure about this one as Chinatown isn't say a Silom or Asoke where sidewalk stalls can become a safety issue and restricts people from getting around. The traffic congestion in Chinatown is also due to the major roadworks being done near Hualongpong station. About the issues of sidewalk stalls blocking entrances to legitimate stores, well it seems that there hasn't been issues raised by the shopkeepers and maybe it's not as bad as posters make it out to be. Suppose it comes down to knowing where to draw the line and finding a pragmatic way which causes least disruption to everyone involved.

[Chao Lao Beach]

while all the legit business who pay rents etc continue to loose because customers cant get into their shops etc..what an idiotic place this is

Keep logic out of this

[pinklaopanther]

This cleaning up of street vendors doesn't sit right with me. It's such a part of Bangkok. I don't understand the thinking behind these clean ups at all. There's so much good food and fascinating things to see or buy that I really cannot believe that they will sweep it away. Come to Bangkok and see cars and be able to walk up boring streets, or come here and see fascinating little stalls and gems of food stalls? Bangkok should stay what it is... A place where your attention is grabbed every 20 seconds, not a sterile place like Singapore. This place has its flaws certain ly, but why rip it's soul out? It's soul is street traders.

[BKKdreaming]

maybe I do not know who these foreign vendors are, unless they are from Issan , Hat Yai or Burma , the only ones with carts in the road are selling food / drinks like all over BKK

This is really not a tourist stop , if I am there 3 hours I see a handful of gringos , its not like there is a line of tourist buses around the corner who have dropped off a tour group ! the 1000s of people there are regular Thais , the people complaining are not all the shop owners as they profit from the crowds too,

But it is chinatown , traffic will always be bad and taking these guys off the sidewalk will not make the traffic move faster,

It will be a big lose to put all these guys out of the little pocket money they make here on Weekends.

And where will this end ? If you go anywhere in chinatown there are sellers on the streets , shops with their goods out on the street , tables and chairs for the food sellers and more , but that is just Chinatown

Said day when its "cleaned up" and boring

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Looks to me like "foreign vendors" is just a poor translation. Probably means interlopers pushing their way in to take advantage of the hungry crowds.

[rametindallas]

In the not too distant future, judging from they way things are going, I shall look back, fondly, at the time when my lady could get the tip of her high-heel shoe replaced within half a block of where she lost it by a "street vendor".

I shall miss buying cheap tourist shirts and food from sidewalk vendors. I've had shoes repaired and clothes mended and all these folks were self-employed. I think that entrepreneurial spirit was one to the features that first attracted me to Thailand. I'm from 'dirty' NOLA so I'm OK with mold and mildew and laissez faire government. I would hate to see Bangkok become sterile. I sure would like to see a compromise worked out.

[BKKdreaming]

I agree , I get my pants shortened and secret passport pocket done by a lady near my hotel,she always seems to have work ,

I buy a lot of junk at other street stalls just like the thais do,

Are they doing this to make it look "modern" for the tourists ? or to keep it out of eyesight of the HiSos

and what new jobs are "they" making for all the working people who do not have a job ? Yes maybe others own the mechandise and stalls but the people we see are making money to live on.....

And to say they will relocate them to another area is not going to work, people buy stuff when it is easy and in front of them , they are not going to go 1km away to buy a shirt or lunch.

Anyway i will enjoy it as long as I can , and get a few phone numbers of people I normally buy from to see where they are moved too ....

[Alan653]

"Yah, but you not understand thai people",

Dam foriegner's, always make trobule for thai hard work people.

Seriously....typical thai mentallity,

blame someone else, take no responsibility.

Shut them all down!

[asanee]

Me, me, me!!

Of course no consideration for the shop-owners, who pay rent, and which shop entrances they are blocking!!

Well done to the government to return the sidewalks to the pedestrians!!

nonsense from an ill-informed poster

1.those shops will also get their share of the ''rent'' by those occupying the sidewalk. besides-the large part of this market is at night-when the normal (mostly car/motocy parts) are closed anyway

2.its not the govmt (with the army) at all, its the BMA, acting with its Tessakit, which also has cleared some other streets/sidewalks and is planning to do more-like lower Sukhumvit-then read the outcry of all the know nothing but know everything regular screamers here

And for all the infuriating posters here, so afraid about their foreignership: its CHINESE vendors, from HKG and mainland China, including 1000s oif illegals, who are the culprit. But of course better to shout first without knowing much.

[BKKdreaming]

And for all the infuriating posters here, so afraid about their foreignership: its CHINESE vendors, from HKG and mainland China, including 1000s oif illegals, who are the culprit. But of course better to shout first without knowing much.

Chinese ? 1000s of them.......Klong Tom ????

What are they selling ? because everyone I have bought from spoke Thai ,

I think some of the Higher up city people holiday in Sillypore ( with money from the street sellers) and what to make BKK like Sillypore (boring)

only a few KM away is the Palace and the crook TuKTuk drivers , go after them .......

[BKKdreaming]

I went looking for those 1000 chinese job stealers last weekend but could not find them ,

Pretty much same as always ,

and the idea of making the streets cleared so traffic can move quicker will really not work , as one delivery van , tuk tuk -Taxi letting out passangers screws up the traffic flow , thats not just in chinatown but all over BKK and really worldwide

I will try again on the weekend to find those job stealers , and buy some more cheap junk !