Bangkok vendors worry BMA drive will hurt their livelihood

[webfact]

Vendors worry BMA drive will hurt their livelihood
VISARUT SANKHAM
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- STREET vendors in Bangkok's Tha Chang-Tha Phrachan area are lamenting that the city's "landscape improvement" operation, which prohibited all footpath stalls from Monday onwards, would "kill the area's charm and identity".

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has begun re-regulating street traders along the area's Maharaj Road - most of whom were 334 amulet sellers in the area known as "Holy Item Field" market.

Next, the city plans to re-regulate Bang Lamphu and Pak Klong Talad early next year.

BMA has already reclaimed Klong Ong Ang from Sapan Han-Sapan Lek vendors and has re-regulated the Klong Thom Market.

"Tha Phrachan was known for its amulet trades, like Pak Klong Talad is know for flowers and Klong Thom for spare parts. So if people here are gone, the market, which is the area's identity, would also be gone," said 47-year-old amulet vendor Eak (not his real name).

He said he had moved from Ratchabophit pier to Maharaj Road four years ago to sell Buddha images at Bt80 to Bt100 each -earning Bt300-Bt400 a day. He said the city's suggestion for affected vendors to sell goods at Rama 2 and Bang Bua Thong markets was impossible, due to the low incomes.

Despite the threat of being fined up to Bt5,000 for running a business on Tha Phra Chan footpath, Eak said he had no idea what else to do and where to go. Each day he still comes with amulets in his shoulder bag in hopes of finding former or prospective buyers. He also hoped to talk with friends about further plans, possibly about going to Ayutthaya, Phitsanulok, or Suphan Buri provinces to sell amulets.

Another amulet vendor Lek (not her real name), 45, said she moved out of Maharaj Road on Sunday. She recalled beginning this business 30 years ago, selling items on a piece of cloth on the footpath. Lek said the area was known to foreigners for its holy items. She had some regular customers from Malaysia who bought them in bulk. She said she once made up to Bt3,000 a day. "Now I earn nothing."

Lek urged the authorities to review the operation as it seriously affected people "just to make way for the area's beautification".

Amulet seller Prakob Armonsin, 59, said he too had sold holy items at Tha Prachan and Tha Chang for over 30 years.

He said he used to pay Bt20 rental fee a month to use the footpath to sell his goods, while some vendors selling from a table would pay Bt1,000 a month. "Now I have nowhere to go," he said.

Fruit seller Vilaipon Aumpapai, 24 said the city's clearing operation meant the end of her four-year-old fruit-stand business. She still came to set up a stall on Monday, as she couldn't let the money she spent to buy fruit produce be wasted, even though the risk of being fined was high.

A city law enforcer who asked not to be named said the street vendors had been told about the ban a month ago.

From now on, city officers would closely monitor the area to keep it clear of street-side stalls and obstacles.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Vendors-worry-BMA-drive-will-hurt-their-livelihood-30274141.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-02

[trogers]

Should the area's charm and identity be walkways cluttered with stalls and umbrellas with pedestrians spilling onto roadways?

[Thian]

He can go to phuntip ngamwongwan 3rd floor. The whole floor is for amuletsellers.

[halloween]

....."just to make way for the area's beautification".

"And this is more important than me making money? I don't understand."

[steveyinasia]

"He said he used to pay Bt20 rental fee a month to use the footpath to sell his goods, while some vendors selling from a table would pay Bt1,000 a month.".....who is he paying these fees too? It's a public footpath, not a shopping mall.

[BKKdreaming]

I think they are making it nice so Chinese tour buses can have a place to park

[waldroj]

These guys should apply for heritage listing if they are so concerned about the area's charm being killed.

Either that, or rent a shop like most traders do!

[SoilSpoil]

Problem is that with real estate price and rental prices skyrocketing in Bangkok, Most vendors cannot afford to rent a 'real' place.

A lot of vendors will have to find a new job.

[WitawatWatawit]

Whining, snivelling prats. Doesn't matter to you that children have to step onto the road to get around your illegal stalls and put their lives in danger. I hope you are driven out of business permanently, lose everything and are forced to find jobs as street sweepers ... oops, street sweepers are good people, sorry.

[DavidBonnie]

I think they have a point. The loss of these well known markets or areas known for specific items is a sad one. The face of Bangkok will be changed completely in the name of ? finding a better class of tourist??

Street vendors are an integral part of Thailand and all that we love abouit it's unregulated and colourful sprawl.

The Junta is like a maniac who suddenly gets power. No forward planning and no regard for what people want or like about Bangkok.

If people don't like street vendors they ought to try another place of residence, seriously . . .

[fred Kubasa]

Some of what the BMA has/will do is good but some has already affected many vendor's livelyhood and tourism as well.

Thailand has thrown out the baby with the bath water !

[Bluespunk]

"STREET vendors in Bangkok's Tha Chang-Tha Phrachan area are lamenting that the city's "landscape improvement" operation, which prohibited all footpath stalls from Monday onwards, would "kill the area's charm and identity".

No, it won't.

It really won't.

[WitawatWatawit]

I think they have a point. The loss of these well known markets or areas known for specific items is a sad one. The face of Bangkok will be changed completely in the name of ? finding a better class of tourist??

Street vendors are an integral part of Thailand and all that we love abouit it's unregulated and colourful sprawl.

The Junta is like a maniac who suddenly gets power. No forward planning and no regard for what people want or like about Bangkok.

If people don't like street vendors they ought to try another place of residence, seriously . . .

What a load of tosh. The city has far outgrown its capacity to absorb these people, who have grown exponentially in number as the number of tourists has grown, until they have overwhelmed the facilities meant for all of us. Or should I say "groan" as well as "grown" - because that's what is happening - the city is groaning under the weight of uncontrolled expansion. It;'s utter tripe to believe that this is what the tourists come for. It's also tripe to believe the loss of these markets will drive the tourists away or spoil the atmosphere of the city - I mean, take a proper look, and what you will see is chaos, not cute. Greed, not grace. Arrogance, not atmosphere. A couple of hundred merchants - illegal - will lose out, that's all. Genuine buyers, few of whom are tourists - almost all are rubberneckers, judging by what I've seen - will find alternate sources without any problems. You pay your money, you take your chances - too bad for the illegal merchants.

[Thian]

10 years ago i thought it's fun to explore china-town. I just followed groups of locals into the alleys and discovered great places. There are many more markets which are hidden in parkinggarages and buildings, you just have to know it. Some of them have an entrance which is a hole in a wall somewhere at the end of an alley.

Those markets should go into buildings and all problems are solved.

Phantip ngamwongwan also has the 2 top floors of that mall turned into huge fleemarkets. They have everything there and almost no customers but that doesn't seem to matter, it's more for their own fun i guess.

The Saphan lek market with the electronic stuff should move to phantip ngamwongwan since it was designed as an IT-market.

But also at Chayapruekroad there is a new" Ploen Mart" terrain with loads of small marketshops, next to Holland beer karaoke.

I have seen that market open only once in many months. Wonder what's going on there and why it's not open daily.

[HooHaa]

I think they have a point. The loss of these well known markets or areas known for specific items is a sad one. The face of Bangkok will be changed completely in the name of ? finding a better class of tourist??

Street vendors are an integral part of Thailand and all that we love abouit it's unregulated and colourful sprawl.

The Junta is like a maniac who suddenly gets power. No forward planning and no regard for what people want or like about Bangkok.

If people don't like street vendors they ought to try another place of residence, seriously . . .

What a load of tosh. The city has far outgrown its capacity to absorb these people, who have grown exponentially in number as the number of tourists has grown, until they have overwhelmed the facilities meant for all of us. Or should I say "groan" as well as "grown" - because that's what is happening - the city is groaning under the weight of uncontrolled expansion. It;'s utter tripe to believe that this is what the tourists come for. It's also tripe to believe the loss of these markets will drive the tourists away or spoil the atmosphere of the city - I mean, take a proper look, and what you will see is chaos, not cute. Greed, not grace. Arrogance, not atmosphere. A couple of hundred merchants - illegal - will lose out, that's all. Genuine buyers, few of whom are tourists - almost all are rubberneckers, judging by what I've seen - will find alternate sources without any problems. You pay your money, you take your chances - too bad for the illegal merchants.

number of tourists? the amulet trade is almost exclusively thai.

People on this website squeal over changes in visa policies, slashing of teaching jobs etc, yet absolutely cannot empathise that a group of legitimate thai citizens are losing, overnight, a livelihood that has fed them and their families in some cases for decades.

bangkok has a well entrenched hawker culture that does contribute to its identity, why not work towards incoporating that rather than making sweeping changes of uncertain effect.

grow some empathy, you lot are waaaay too smug.