Pratunam’s Flashy, Trashy Fashion to be Swept Away
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


A pedestrian walks through stalls specializing in apparel and fashion items in Bangkok’s Pratunam area. Photo: Jef1947 / Flickr

BANGKOK — The sidewalks of Pratunam, the nation’s biggest clothing bazaar, are the next target for the cleanup broom powered by a government tidiness campaign.

Nearly 700 street stalls will soon be gone from the area famous for affordable fashion as City Hall tightens up code enforcement and moves forward with its cleanliness and order campaign.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1456831664&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2016-03-02

War on the poor campain. 700 more unemployed, less shopping options for low cost clothes... war on the poor.

Three hundred vendors will be asked to move to a private market on Soi Phetchaburi 29, while a market in the Bang Kapi district can accommodate 1,000 vendors. A third at the Kuuk Kuk Tha Din Daeng Market can hold 600 vendors.

will they provide free shuttle buses for the customers who have no idea where these places are ?

look out BoBae

I would seriously be interested to know how many of these recently and upcoming cleared areas become sites for condo or office building development in the next few months.

Excellent news.

There will still be shops all along those pavements where tourists can buy things, leaving the pavement for what is supposed to be for, walking.

Those vendors have been taking the piss for years, not much sympathy from me.

This Government are ruining the lives of working citizens its not perfect but what will they do now , Governments dont seem to care as they get paid no matter how bad they are.

I will miss these very Asian type markets.

Yes hard to walk around but fun any way.

Previous poster suggested that maybe new condos or office tower go up soon, maybe this is what it is all about, wouldn't be surprised, otherwise it is hard to see why the junta would worry about these type of areas that have been around for decades.

Government is killing tourism. Mission accomplished, Thailand!?

I would seriously be interested to know how many of these recently and upcoming cleared areas become sites for condo or office building development in the next few months.

Khaw thoot na khappp

lt will give a few people jobs when they need to edit the guide books on out of the way places to see in BKK,

are they doing this in all the other large Thai cities ?

War on the poor campain. 700 more unemployed, less shopping options for low cost clothes... war on the poor.

Poor? They are far from being poor. Most of them have shops inside the market but also set up on the pavement to get more sales amd exposure.

Another nail in Bangkok's coffin, these areas give the city character, what next chatachut market to go to replaced by shiny new shops that no one goes in.

Another nail in Bangkok's coffin, these areas give the city character, what next chatachut market to go to replaced by shiny new shops that no one goes in.

Took the words right out of my mouth. A few more nails to go and the coffin will be lowered into the grave. RIP Bangkok, once one of the most interesting cities in the world, rapidly becoming one of the most boring.

Yes it clogs the pavements, yes it's a firetrap, yes it's a nuisance BUT tourists and locals have been shopping in these places for decades. It's an integral part of Bangkok life. No logical reason for doing this "clean up"

So many charms are lost in Thailand. The charms so liked by tourists. You hear madame?

Really ? They are shooting themselves in the foot -- again Those markets are the very essence of Bangkok, and similar ones in other cities bear witness to the huge attraction to both locals and tourists. Sure - they need slightly better policing, and maybe a minimum height on the awnings -- we're not all 4ft6" !!! haha!!

There are plenty of jobs in Thailand for these displaced vendors who are unwilling to do a hard days work for a living. Thailand has to bring in over 2 million foreign workers to do the work Thais are unwilling to do. I am not a bit sorry for them, they should be removed from all public areas in the entire country. IOM its the height of laziness or should I just call it Thainess!

Excellent news.

There will still be shops all along those pavements where tourists can buy things, leaving the pavement for what is supposed to be for, walking.

Those vendors have been taking the piss for years, not much sympathy from me.

They were here long before you arrived. It was an institution and part of the Bangkok way of life.

If you need a very clean street with no motosoi, no vendors, no beggars you should go live in Singapor it will suit your needs

War on the poor campain. 700 more unemployed, less shopping options for low cost clothes... war on the poor.

How about a war on those who don't read too well?

All the vendors are being offered relocation, with a choice of 3 sites. This is nothing to do with unemployment, shopping options or a war on the poor.

^{Ah......the reforms are coming along nicely. Using Singapore as a model the country is moving towards being an Asian utopia. Just got to start enforcing the laws on illegal prostitution and the country will have cleaned up its image and can dispose of the sex tourists in favor of quality visitors instead....the Chines and zRussians being excellent examples.}

I would seriously be interested to know how many of these recently and upcoming cleared areas become sites for condo or office building development in the next few months.

I would be seriously interested in whether you actually read the article. These are pavements and public places that are being cleared. There is no mention of clearing the actual markets.

This Government are ruining the lives of working citizens its not perfect but what will they do now , Governments dont seem to care as they get paid no matter how bad they are.

They can work from the markets that they are being offered relocation to, their lives are not being ruined.

Another nail in Bangkok's coffin, these areas give the city character, what next chatachut market to go to replaced by shiny new shops that no one goes in.

Chatachut [sic] market does not occupy the public pavement so it will be safe.

Can't anyone read on this forum?

Excellent news.

There will still be shops all along those pavements where tourists can buy things, leaving the pavement for what is supposed to be for, walking.

Those vendors have been taking the piss for years, not much sympathy from me.

They were here long before you arrived. It was an institution and part of the Bangkok way of life.

If you need a very clean street with no motosoi, no vendors, no beggars you should go live in Singapor it will suit your needs

Or maybe you should go and live somewhere like Mumbai.

Thai people are the ones instigating the current crackdown on vendors encroaching on pavements and from my experience most

Thais want the pavements to be cleared.

What I or any other Farang wants means nothing, it is the Thais who want to improve the situation and to be able to walk on the pavements.

Another nail in Bangkok's coffin, these areas give the city character, what next chatachut market to go to replaced by shiny new shops that no one goes in.

+ 1 I second that. What a pity. These kinds of markets add a bit of flare to a neighbourhood and provide a lot of entrepreneurs with an income.

Another nail in Bangkok's coffin, these areas give the city character, what next chatachut market to go to replaced by shiny new shops that no one goes in.

+ 1 I second that. What a pity. These kinds of markets add a bit of flare to a neighbourhood and provide a lot of entrepreneurs with an income.

The argument that it provides people with income doesn't really wash with me.

If I could set a market stall on the connection between the Paragon and Siam BTS I could make an absolute fortune, but that doesn't mean we should turn it into a market.

I would seriously be interested to know how many of these recently and upcoming cleared areas become sites for condo or office building development in the next few months.

I would be seriously interested in whether you actually read the article. These are pavements and public places that are being cleared. There is no mention of clearing the actual markets.

read todays Bangkok Post ...there it is mentioned that they are all to go ! Another market swept away by the powers that be ...it sux. I dont come to Bangkok to walk on sterile footpaths-- i come to shop! I hope the railway authority can keep it together to maintain the Chatu Chak markets, if they go so do i ;(

I wonder who is really behind all this destruction of the real charm of Bkk?

For me much of the reason I go to Bkk is the smells from a nightbazaar where you can sit down in the middle of the night for a beer and some often delicious food, poking around in the streetvendors stalls (often just crap, but sometimes you find just the thing you want for a fraction of normal price)

The very few xtra minutes are absolutely worth it.

The ones complaining should just hire a Limo to go between the superexpencive trendy malls with a/c environment or just skip Bkk and go to Singapore.

Amja

What do the average Thais think about this on Pantip.com etc ?

Knowing that they do have to bite their tongue sometimes because .......

Vendors selling whatever on the sidewalk are a real pain for those just wanting to use it for it's intended purpose, walking. Having said that, the government has allowed this to go on for decades, and it has become an accepted, even necessary, part of Thailand life. For many workers, these stalls are the only place to get a reasonably priced lunch or cheap clothes. It is up to the government to find suitable alternatives, not just for the sake of the vendors, but also their customers. Saying that there is X alternative a 1 hour drive out of the central city is not a solution.

How about being less greedy, and allowing some of the few undeveloped spots in downtown Bangkok to be turned into community spaces where these vendors can comfortably and legally operate?