BMA affirms Klong Thom eviction deadline March 1

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is moving forward with its efforts to regulate street vendors and stalls along the Klong Thom market with its eviction deadline has been set for March 1.

Any violators who fail to comply will face legal repercussions.

A meeting was held yesterday among the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), the Metropolitan Police, the Ministry of Interior and other related agencies on the issue of regulating street vendors and stalls in the Klong Thom area.

The advisor to the Governor of Bangkok, Wanlop Suwandee, has stated that the BMA will be allowing a leniency period for street vendors along Klong Thom area to set up their stalls up to only March 1.

After that they will begin reclaiming the property so that cleaning operations can be carried out and planned refurbishment of the area can begin.

Volunteers, military personnel, police and BMA authorities have been enlisted to carry out the planned eviction so that the area, which is a public footpath, can be returned to pedestrians.

Upon completion of the eviction at Klong Thom, BMA will be carrying out similar evictions along Asoke and Poholyothin roads which have huge number of street vendors that have set up their stalls along public footpath.

The eviction along these roads will be carried out beginning from the Victory Monument up to Sanam Pao to return footpaths to the pedestrians.

Part of the reason for regulating these areas is that more and more motorcycles have been using the footpaths as shortcuts further endangering pedestrians.

The BMA has regulated 24 areas within the capital and thus far a total of 8,200 street vendors and stalls have cooperated with the effort.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bma-affirms-klong-thom-eviction-deadline-march-1

-- Thai PBS 2015-02-14

And what about Sukhumvit? The area between Nana and Asoke is almost impassable due to the vendors.

And what about Sukhumvit? The area between Nana and Asoke is almost impassable due to the vendors.

When was the last time you were in Sukhumvit? They have already cleared that area for the entire day up until 7:00 pm when the allow the night market vendors to setup.

It great that you can walk the sidewalk the entire way with very little trouble on both sides of the road. Even most of the beggars have been cleared.

All these street vendors are part of Thailand's 99.9% employment rate.

At a time when the economy is in a tailspin towards potential deflation and increasing household debt, limiting employment opportunies for the lowest income class would seem a disaster in the making. Thailand has no formal "safety net" for the unemployed nor any strucured employment programs to help these people recover. The closest it comes are the occassional one-time cash handouts and limited subsidies.

It's not that the government is helpless. It could trigger an upswing in the economy and greater employment with massive government investment in the nation's infrastructure. But thus far it has refused to do so. It could take measures to provide vendors opportunities to continue their businesses as was done eventually with beach bed and umbrella vendors. Though it has to a very small extent made some allowances for street vendors, it usually imposes catch-22 provisions (ie., late night sales only) that actually kill vendor businesses that were formulated around customer patterns.

It's not a Junta-led government being insensitive to the survival of street vendors, it's a complete cluelessness of what it takes in Thailand for the low income class to survive.

And what about Sukhumvit? The area between Nana and Asoke is almost impassable due to the vendors.

You have to admit that this area is a very important tourist venue although it should be a little more regulated. It really is an asset to the industry. I suggest that if it makes your passage "almost impassable" that you avoid the area............simple really !

And what about Sukhumvit? The area between Nana and Asoke is almost impassable due to the vendors.

You have to admit that this area is a very important tourist venue although it should be a little more regulated. It really is an asset to the industry. I suggest that if it makes your passage "almost impassable" that you avoid the area............simple really !

I prefer to let others decide which path to take.

Keep it Simple.

All these street vendors are part of Thailand's 99.9% employment rate.

At a time when the economy is in a tailspin towards potential deflation and increasing household debt, limiting employment opportunies for the lowest income class would seem a disaster in the making. Thailand has no formal "safety net" for the unemployed nor any strucured employment programs to help these people recover. The closest it comes are the occassional one-time cash handouts and limited subsidies.

It's not that the government is helpless. It could trigger an upswing in the economy and greater employment with massive government investment in the nation's infrastructure. But thus far it has refused to do so. It could take measures to provide vendors opportunities to continue their businesses as was done eventually with beach bed and umbrella vendors. Though it has to a very small extent made some allowances for street vendors, it usually imposes catch-22 provisions (ie., late night sales only) that actually kill vendor businesses that were formulated around customer patterns.

It's not a Junta-led government being insensitive to the survival of street vendors, it's a complete cluelessness of what it takes in Thailand for the low income class to survive.

I expect the street vendors will find someplace else to set up. 'Not sure why that's not better. Yes, they'll be off the main tourist routes, but I'm sure tourists who WANT to shop them will manage to find them again. They've essentially been squatting all this time on public right-of-way, causing congestion and hindering pedestrian traffic, and grown dependent on being allowed to do so. So moving them off will be painful. But in the long run, this sounds like a change for the better.

'Part of the reason for regulating these areas is that more and more motorcycles have been using the footpaths as shortcuts ...' These being the same motorcycles that Bangkok's finest were supposedly intent on putting in their place - the road?

I had to smile when I read that one justification for the crackdown was motorcycles using the footpath. About the only place where this is not a problem is where street vendors make the path impassable.

And what about Sukhumvit? The area between Nana and Asoke is almost impassable due to the vendors.

When was the last time you were in Sukhumvit? They have already cleared that area for the entire day up until 7:00 pm when the allow the night market vendors to setup.

It great that you can walk the sidewalk the entire way with very little trouble on both sides of the road. Even most of the beggars have been cleared.

Do people stop walking after 7pm ?

All these street vendors are part of Thailand's 99.9% employment rate.

At a time when the economy is in a tailspin towards potential deflation and increasing household debt, limiting employment opportunies for the lowest income class would seem a disaster in the making. Thailand has no formal "safety net" for the unemployed nor any strucured employment programs to help these people recover. The closest it comes are the occassional one-time cash handouts and limited subsidies.

It's not that the government is helpless. It could trigger an upswing in the economy and greater employment with massive government investment in the nation's infrastructure. But thus far it has refused to do so. It could take measures to provide vendors opportunities to continue their businesses as was done eventually with beach bed and umbrella vendors. Though it has to a very small extent made some allowances for street vendors, it usually imposes catch-22 provisions (ie., late night sales only) that actually kill vendor businesses that were formulated around customer patterns.

It's not a Junta-led government being insensitive to the survival of street vendors, it's a complete cluelessness of what it takes in Thailand for the low income class to survive.

Totally agree. Ask any poor person that is not a street vendor. They are tolerant and understand the need for these people to work. Ask the rich. They do not care about the thousands of families that have lost their incomes. These venders are as much a part of thai culture as going to the temple. Everybody complains about them, however we all rely on them for our day to day needs. (Except for the rich ) that can shop at paragon , and eat in the fancy restaurants.

In cha am the MP found other jobs and places to work for the vendors before closing them down.

If the government wants to stop people from working/begging. They must provide a welfare system that allows the workers to sit at home and do nothing.

Or suffer the consequences of increased crime and suicide.

People have the right to survive.