Vendors try unsuccessfully to return to Siam Square

[webfact]

Vendors try unsuccessfully to return to Siam Square as City Hall remains firm on its eviction plan

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Over 200 municipal police were deployed at and around Siam Square shopping district on Thursday as a group of pavement vendors tried to negotiate with city officials to return to the pavements to carry on with their trading practice.

 

The city administration has demanded all the vendors to move out by October 3 failing that they will be arrested and fined.

 

Since October, the pavements at the famous shopping district have been cleared of vendors. But several of them showed up today with placards asking for sympathy and demanding talks with officials concerned to give them a reprieve so that they can dispose their remaining stocks of goods.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/vendors-try-unsuccessfully-return-siam-square-city-hall-remains-firm-eviction-plan/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-10-07

[steveyinasia]

Once the vendors started occupying both sides of the footpath, it was an impossible journey.  Greed took over with other vendors charging in with little regard to foot traffic, I am happy to see them go.

[kennw]

Wish they would also clear Soi 4 Sukhumvit so that cars can pass in the evenings. Vendors clog footpaths forcing people to walk on the roadway, double parking by motorbike further add to the pedestrian danger  

[AlQaholic]

This actually entices me to visit BKK for the weekend just to walk on those footpaths, just to experience the feeling.....

[sabian]

1 hour ago, kennw said:

Wish they would also clear Soi 4 Sukhumvit so that cars can pass in the evenings. Vendors clog footpaths forcing people to walk on the roadway, double parking by motorbike further add to the pedestrian danger  

Yeah I was there last weekend, quite dangerous really and there are two pavement restaurants which take up all of the pavement with no room at all, I was watching a family with their two kids trying to get round it. Why do these people think they have a god given right to be so selfish?

[JHolmesJr]

They are like gutter water…they will just flow through to wherever they find an opening.

[impulse]

40 minutes ago, AlQaholic said:

This actually entices me to visit BKK for the weekend just to walk on those footpaths, just to experience the feeling.....

 

Can't be nearly as surreal as walking down the middle of Sukhumvit at Asoke while it was closed for a couple of weeks for protester camping.  I was sorry to see them open it back up again.

[Americano555]

People trying to make a living........the government is so inept as to map out areas with numbers, their names, what they are selling....etc....

 

The vendors would have THAT LISCENSE TO THAT PARTICULAR SPOT. 

 

Instead of the mafia coming by for their split$$$$

[PremiumLane]

I for one like the street vendors and hawkers in Bangkok - it is another thing that makes this city what it is.

 

I don't want to see Bangkok become a gentrified playground for the rich only, with the soul and life sucked out it.

 

Fear this is the way it is going, like London, San Francisco etc. Some posters seem so keen on turning Thailand into some horrible gentrified, distopian Western 'hole - full of rules and regulations

[fruitman]

Well done!

 

Please make all sidewalks open and good to walk, also take away all the low hanging umbrella's and ropes.

 

If those streetvendors can't rent a real shop they better go upcountry where there's loads of space for them. Bangkok is far too busy to clog up the sidewalks.  Besides they make the pavement filthy and attract rats.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, sabian said:

Yeah I was there last weekend, quite dangerous really and there are two pavement restaurants which take up all of the pavement with no room at all, I was watching a family with their two kids trying to get round it. Why do these people think they have a god given right to be so selfish?

There was, and maybe still is, a pavement restaurant in Nakhon Sawan which took up the whole pavement near opposite a large

high school, the children (I was a teacher there) had to walk on the busy road to get past.

I always refused to walk on the road, and just walked on as if the restaurant was not there, if anything got bumped "accidentally" then

it was just too bad.

[NoshowJones]

16 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

I for one like the street vendors and hawkers in Bangkok - it is another thing that makes this city what it is.

 

I don't want to see Bangkok become a gentrified playground for the rich only, with the soul and life sucked out it.

 

Fear this is the way it is going, like London, San Francisco etc. Some posters seem so keen on turning Thailand into some horrible gentrified, distopian Western 'hole - full of rules and regulations

Like I said, compromise, where possible, and it is possible in most cases, let the vendors use one part of the sidewalk, not both, if it

lessens the amount of mafia payments, then too bad.

[Bantex]

5 hours ago, AlQaholic said:

This actually entices me to visit BKK for the weekend just to walk on those footpaths, just to experience the feeling.....

Try going to chatuchak market but keep the footpaths for the pedestrians.

[fusion58]

8 hours ago, AlQaholic said:

This actually entices me to visit BKK for the weekend just to walk on those footpaths, just to experience the feeling.....

 

Yep.

 

They're called "footpaths" or "sidewalks" for a reason.

 

As others have noted, hopefully the next order of business is keeping the motorbikes off them!