Bangkok footpaths liberated at last

[JAG]

2 hours ago, mcfish said:

 

Dude only newly arrived sex tourists think that all thais are poor and are begging to shine your dirty shoes.

Have a look at the smart phones on the Bts that zooms past, I bet yours is nearly obsolete.

Try getting a seat at terminal 21 food court at 12pm..nearly all thai.

That stretch of road that thank goodness has been shut down is an embarrassment to the educated thai

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk
 

 

What has "newly arrived sex tourists" got to do with the banal OP and your even more banal reply?

Sweet F A 

 

The age or otherwise of my smartphone is likewise totally irrelevant.

 

You, and the OP,  are talking about a very small section of the population of Bangkok.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

 

Minimum wage has gone up a lot last year, would you deny that?

 

ALL Thai that i know have been to Japan, most of them multiple times and they go with their kids as well. 

 

Have fun on the countryside mister! Buy some nice deepfried chickenelbows and say: sabaai sabaai....

Yes the minimum wage has gone up, but it is hardly enough to allow one you to feed oneself, let alone a family, in a foodcourt.

 

If all the Thais you know have been to Japan, then you must have a very narrow circle of acquaintances. I dont think you are  telling the truth.

 

You obviously know nothing of life in the countryside, or it would seem outside of a very small ghetto of wealthy Thais.

 

Or maybe you are talking BS?

 

 

Edited October 14, 2016 by JAG

[Thaidream]

I am always amazed at the complete lack of understanding  by some TV posters of how Thailand works; how Thai people think and live and the extent of poverty that pervades the Kingdom.  the minimum wage in Bangkok is 300 Baht per day . I suggest those who think it is a living wage might try living on it for a month and see what happens. I shall leave it to the Thai people and the authorities to negotiate the vendor issue. If we left it to some of the posters on this board- Thai vendors would be living on the street, unemployed but of course not allowed in Bangkok because it might upset those who are not used to seeing poverty.

[JAG]

1 minute ago, Thaidream said:

I am always amazed at the complete lack of understanding  by some TV posters of how Thailand works; how Thai people think and live and the extent of poverty that pervades the Kingdom.  the minimum wage in Bangkok is 300 Baht per day . I suggest those who think it is a living wage might try living on it for a month and see what happens. I shall leave it to the Thai people and the authorities to negotiate the vendor issue. If we left it to some of the posters on this board- Thai vendors would be living on the street, unemployed but of course not allowed in Bangkok because it might upset those who are not used to seeing poverty.

They think Bangkok, or to be more specific, the high end condos and their immediate environs, "falang ghettos", are the real Thailand.

 

They quite simply do not have the beginnings of a clue.

[fruitman]

9 minutes ago, JAG said:

What has "newly arrived sex tourists" got to do with the banal OP and your even more banal reply?

Sweet F A 

 

The age or otherwise of my smartphone is likewise totally irrelevant.

 

You, and the OP,  are talking about a very small section of the population of Bangkok.

 

You obviously have no idea what Bangkok is all about, do you even know any educated Thai ? They go on holidays these days and yes by plane!

And they also despise the streetvendors who block walkways, they are just arrogant selfish people who don't belong in BKK....a few streetvendors would be OK but it grows out of control all the time and becomes very annoying.

 

Time to feed the buffalo mate, you don't live in BKK i can tell.

[digibum]

16 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

Last time I looked a few days ago the footpath vendors were thick on the ground along Soi 4 Sukhumvit. 

Only about a year or so a go a pedestrian was killed when he was forced to step onto the road to avoid them.

 

"The BMA has no other choice," he said. "If we don't take any action, we could be charged with dereliction of duty."

So there, it is being done not for the benefit of pedestrians all but is an ass covering exercise by the BMA.

 

So typical of Thailand's bureaucracy in looking after themselves rather than the people. If any benefit comes to the people it is purely co-incidental.

 

 

Hahahahaha  . . . a Thai official being charged with dereliction of duty.  

[digibum]

15 hours ago, yellowboat said:

As much as these vendors were a pain, they had viable businesses and sold to locals and visitors.  They had suppliers as well..  Sadly no imaginative solutions were discussed just the iron fist was used.  A sad but common occurrence in Thailand today.

 

It's hardly an iron fist when people (tourists, locals, expats, etc) have been complaining for over a decade.  While I agree that it's sad that many of these people are unable to make money, it's not like they didn't have many, many years to notice that people were getting frustrated with how things were running and make changes.  

 

There have also been grumblings from the government and others about street vendors which nobody heeded either.  

 

I can cite plenty of examples in other countries where local merchants have banned together to police/regulate themselves rather than have something like this happen which ruins the business for everyone.  

 

Instead street vending was controlled by unchecked greed.  First it was one side of the sidewalk, then the other, then they started pushing into the streets.  

 

 

[digibum]

14 hours ago, callaway said:

The place sounds so good. Head back there. Bangkok is like no other and that is what makes it unique. How many Singapores do we actually need?

 

Really, the overcrowded sidewalks are what make Bangkok unique in the world?  If so, Bangkok has a bigger problem than becoming more like Singapore.  

 

I can appreciate people's desire to have the Bangkok remain unchanged but at the same time the change is coming as a result of improved business conditions for the Thai people.  So really when I hear people say that they wish things would stay the same is that they're saying that they hope Thailand stays a backwards, third-world country because that would be pleasing to them.  

[digibum]

10 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

How is that part of their cash cow?  Were they charging for the survey?

 

No.  they were collecting rents from the street vendors.  

[digibum]

9 hours ago, Thaidream said:

There is plenty of room for everyone - however, it appears certain foreign residents want to control what happens in Thailand in regards to vendors and prefer to have Bangkok resemble the cities they ran away from. It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and try to remake it like the countries they were born in or lived in. 

 

No, foreigners don't make Thai laws nor can they make the Thai police do anything.  Thai people who are also becoming frustrated with the street vendors have done this so, ironically, it's you who are trying to change Thailand to fit your model of what Thailand should be.  

 

Some of us are simply agreeing with it.  I can assure you that nobody in the Thai government took this action because of a bunch of whiners on ThaiVisa.  Otherwise they would also be issuing 30 year tourist visas and paying tourists 1,000,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand.    

 

Keep in mind that many of the things the Thai people do (or have done) they do because they are poor, uneducated, and don't know a better way.  As the country grows, as more wealth is created, as more "city" jobs become available, things will inevitably change.  Stubbornly insisting that Thailand stay the same as it was is rooting against them economically/financially.  

 

 

[teatree]

18 hours ago, Thaidream said:

There is plenty of room for everyone - however, it appears certain foreign residents want to control what happens in Thailand in regards to vendors and prefer to have Bangkok resemble the cities they ran away from. It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and try to remake it like the countries they were born in or lived in. 

It matters not one bit what foreign residents want.

 

It only matters what Thais want, and the majority of Thais are sick and tired of the uncontrolled takeover of their pavements.

[stubuzz]

This crackdown won't last. Do you remember the motorcycle taxi crackdown of registration and special licenses? Well my province is now overrun with illegal taxis that are buying counterfeit orange vests that are openly on display for sale.

[mcfish]

This crackdown won't last. Do you remember the motorcycle taxi crackdown of registration and special licenses? Well my province is now overrun with illegal taxis that are buying counterfeit orange vests that are openly on display for sale.

Yeah right buying a vest and trying to sneak a stall onto Sukhumvit road are very similar.

The same people posted the 7pm curfew wouldn't last and some are still insisting the elephants will come back.. Talk about being in denial!

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[louse1953]

On 14/10/2016 at 8:17 AM, trogers said:

 

What imaginative solution did your country came up with for their sidewalks?

Copy the Singapore model.

[louse1953]

On 14/10/2016 at 5:04 PM, fruitman said:

 

You obviously have no idea what Bangkok is all about, do you even know any educated Thai ? They go on holidays these days and yes by plane!

And they also despise the streetvendors who block walkways, they are just arrogant selfish people who don't belong in BKK....a few streetvendors would be OK but it grows out of control all the time and becomes very annoying.

 

Time to feed the buffalo mate, you don't live in BKK i can tell.

Hey fruitloops,Bangkok does not represent Thailand.

[BuckBee]

liberation is a step backwards, organization was what was needed, everyone blamed the stall owners for the chaos but most was down to the council officers trying squeeze in as many stalls as could for monthly rent of 500Bt for 1.5mtr, stall owners had reciepts for this too .

Complete loss of street markets is a big loss of what thailand is/was, silom was becoming a dead zone after constant protests in area and lack of good development, lack of market has hit local trade massively, restaurants & bars & small shops have hardly any business in evenings as no one venturing to area without street market, that market goes back over 25yrs ...  Couple bars shut in patpong and trade in patpong bars and market close to breaking point .

The street market  on silom was quite good compared to most and a tourist hotspot mentioned in most online info, booklets etc and should of been regulated and improved not lost to so called liberation ... hope the moaners enjoy dodging motorbikes and bag snatchers .

[geriatrickid]

On 10/13/2016 at 9:13 PM, yellowboat said:

As much as these vendors were a pain, they had viable businesses and sold to locals and visitors.  They had suppliers as well..  Sadly no imaginative solutions were discussed just the iron fist was used.  A sad but common occurrence in Thailand today.

 

Your comment is nonsensical. Your logic justifies an illegal and dangerous activity because you consider te illegal activity to have been a viable business. Your logic would also then hold that  cannabis sellers should be  allowed to sell their wares on the corner since it is a viable business.  What of the pedestrians who are unable to walk safely? What of the  shopkeepers who are obliged to pay taxes? The street vendors are parasites. They do not collect VAT and they do not pay into the public coffers any revenue, yet they  use services and cause the BMA to incur costs. Yes, the vendors paid fees to local officials. This was part of the climate of corruption. Those fees  were not used to pay for the services rendered.  There was no iron fist. The laws have been in effect for years. Common courtesy holds that we do not force people into  busy traffic when they need to walk somewhere.  The vendors acted selfishly in their own best interests.

 

On 10/13/2016 at 9:30 PM, madmitch said:

A pain maybe but these vendors were part of what makes Bangkok Bangkok. Every time I return I see a more sterile city catering to the middle classes and hi-sos. 

 

Neil Kinnock's ghost speaks.  Do you even know what "middle class" is in Thailand ? This term gets tossed about as if there is a "middle class". There isn't. There are varying degrees of haves and have nots. These people you hold in disdain are the ones who are paying for the city upkeep. It is their VAT and their general taxes that pay for the  services and infrastructure.  The vendors were opportunistic profit seekers, greedy  capitalists who operated outside the law. And yet you paint them as poor little working class heros. Up near Silom they were an active part of the organized crime syndicates helping to spot marks, launder cash, sell drugs and engage in petty crime. These were not nice people. You didn't get a prime  sales spot unless you paid for it and agreed to do favours for the big boss.

 

On 10/13/2016 at 9:42 PM, yellowboat said:

No, am interested in their viable, legal business and a creative that way they can continue.   Not all their products are illegal if memory serves.  Bought a nice Thai lamp there.  Other countries in the region seem to have sorted these problems out, while Thailand seems to not be able to. 

 

How do ypu know it was a Thai lamp? Most of the  garbage quality electrical products are Chinese sourced. The goods sold are in fact mostly illegal as they make their way to the street vendors through channels outside the tax collection system. The food stalls are filthy and responsible for posioning tens of thousands of people in any given year. The clothing retailers, the ones who sell "Calvin Klein" bloomers & thongs, the  shirts emblazoned with Versace and Dolce & Gabbana etc. are all rip off counterfeits. All the jewellery are counterfeit copies. Counterfeit drugs, bootleg DVDs and unsafe general merchandise is on sale. All of it is poor quality and some are even tooxic or a danger to health.  You describe them as viable. By that logic, Somchai who dumps toxic waste in the back country  has a viable business too. Until he gets caught he can pour his toxic waste into a field and poison people. No one  knows, right?

 

[kannot]

On 10/14/2016 at 2:44 PM, mcfish said:

 

Dude only newly arrived sex tourists think that all thais are poor and are begging to shine your dirty shoes.

Have a look at the smart phones on the Bts that zooms past, I bet yours is nearly obsolete.

Try getting a seat at terminal 21 food court at 12pm..nearly all thai.

That stretch of road that thank goodness has been shut down is an embarrassment to the educated thai

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk
 

 

ask  them  how  many  months payment  they  have  yet  to  make on their latest  phone 

[mcfish]

ask  them  how  many  months payment  they  have  yet  to  make on their latest  phone 

No different to the west

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[bittersweetcoffee]

Tourists now missing out on getting hold 'second hand' goods, knuckle dusters, knives, tazers and toys that will most likely injure or kill children. What a loss. I recall having to walk in traffic just to get home in under an hour due to clogged paths.  Who would think it is a good idea to having boiling oil on an unstable stove at waist height on busy pavment.

[akirasan]

I realise the article is about downtown bangkok.  Lad Prao and Bang Kapi are  enjoying their usual sidewalk chaos however.

[halloween]

On 14/10/2016 at 11:42 AM, yellowboat said:

No, am interested in their viable, legal business and a creative that way they can continue.   Not all their products are illegal if memory serves.  Bought a nice Thai lamp there.  Other countries in the region seem to have sorted these problems out, while Thailand seems to not be able to. 

How does a stall squatting on a public footpath become a "legal business"? By paying bribes?

[Bob9]

On 10/14/2016 at 8:30 AM, madmitch said:

A pain maybe but these vendors were part of what makes Bangkok Bangkok. Every time I return I see a more sterile city catering to the middle classes and hi-sos. 

Stay away then. No loss.

[Bob9]

10 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Your comment is nonsensical. Your logic justifies an illegal and dangerous activity because you consider te illegal activity to have been a viable business. Your logic would also then hold that  cannabis sellers should be  allowed to sell their wares on the corner since it is a viable business.  What of the pedestrians who are unable to walk safely? What of the  shopkeepers who are obliged to pay taxes? The street vendors are parasites. They do not collect VAT and they do not pay into the public coffers any revenue, yet they  use services and cause the BMA to incur costs. Yes, the vendors paid fees to local officials. This was part of the climate of corruption. Those fees  were not used to pay for the services rendered.  There was no iron fist. The laws have been in effect for years. Common courtesy holds that we do not force people into  busy traffic when they need to walk somewhere.  The vendors acted selfishly in their own best interests.

 

 

Neil Kinnock's ghost speaks.  Do you even know what "middle class" is in Thailand ? This term gets tossed about as if there is a "middle class". There isn't. There are varying degrees of haves and have nots. These people you hold in disdain are the ones who are paying for the city upkeep. It is their VAT and their general taxes that pay for the  services and infrastructure.  The vendors were opportunistic profit seekers, greedy  capitalists who operated outside the law. And yet you paint them as poor little working class heros. Up near Silom they were an active part of the organized crime syndicates helping to spot marks, launder cash, sell drugs and engage in petty crime. These were not nice people. You didn't get a prime  sales spot unless you paid for it and agreed to do favours for the big boss.

 

 

How do ypu know it was a Thai lamp? Most of the  garbage quality electrical products are Chinese sourced. The goods sold are in fact mostly illegal as they make their way to the street vendors through channels outside the tax collection system. The food stalls are filthy and responsible for posioning tens of thousands of people in any given year. The clothing retailers, the ones who sell "Calvin Klein" bloomers & thongs, the  shirts emblazoned with Versace and Dolce & Gabbana etc. are all rip off counterfeits. All the jewellery are counterfeit copies. Counterfeit drugs, bootleg DVDs and unsafe general merchandise is on sale. All of it is poor quality and some are even tooxic or a danger to health.  You describe them as viable. By that logic, Somchai who dumps toxic waste in the back country  has a viable business too. Until he gets caught he can pour his toxic waste into a field and poison people. No one  knows, right?

 

Well said mate - agree 100%. 

[Bob9]

30 minutes ago, akirasan said:

I realise the article is about downtown bangkok.  Lad Prao and Bang Kapi are  enjoying their usual sidewalk chaos however.

Same in Chiang Mai - total chaos and gets worse every year. Fat chance they will enforce the rules here though - Bangkok has replaced senior cops in Chiang Mai two times that I know of - nothing seems to change.  Corruption ingrained in the culture here - it is an accepted way of live.  

 

Once they get rid of them all in Bangkok, they will start a nationwide drive to enforce all laws. Hey, next thing you know Thais will wear helmets when riding bikes. Only the other day .........Ooops - I gotta go - forgot to fed the pigs before their lunchtime flying exercises.

 

 

[BuckBee]

15 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

Your comment is nonsensical. Your logic justifies an illegal and dangerous activity because you consider te illegal activity to have been a viable business. Your logic would also then hold that  cannabis sellers should be  allowed to sell their wares on the corner since it is a viable business.  What of the pedestrians who are unable to walk safely? What of the  shopkeepers who are obliged to pay taxes? The street vendors are parasites. They do not collect VAT and they do not pay into the public coffers any revenue, yet they  use services and cause the BMA to incur costs. Yes, the vendors paid fees to local officials. This was part of the climate of corruption. Those fees  were not used to pay for the services rendered.  There was no iron fist. The laws have been in effect for years. Common courtesy holds that we do not force people into  busy traffic when they need to walk somewhere.  The vendors acted selfishly in their own best interests.

 

 

Neil Kinnock's ghost speaks.  Do you even know what "middle class" is in Thailand ? This term gets tossed about as if there is a "middle class". There isn't. There are varying degrees of haves and have nots. These people you hold in disdain are the ones who are paying for the city upkeep. It is their VAT and their general taxes that pay for the  services and infrastructure.  The vendors were opportunistic profit seekers, greedy  capitalists who operated outside the law. And yet you paint them as poor little working class heros. Up near Silom they were an active part of the organized crime syndicates helping to spot marks, launder cash, sell drugs and engage in petty crime. These were not nice people. You didn't get a prime  sales spot unless you paid for it and agreed to do favours for the big boss.

 

 

How do ypu know it was a Thai lamp? Most of the  garbage quality electrical products are Chinese sourced. The goods sold are in fact mostly illegal as they make their way to the street vendors through channels outside the tax collection system. The food stalls are filthy and responsible for posioning tens of thousands of people in any given year. The clothing retailers, the ones who sell "Calvin Klein" bloomers & thongs, the  shirts emblazoned with Versace and Dolce & Gabbana etc. are all rip off counterfeits. All the jewellery are counterfeit copies. Counterfeit drugs, bootleg DVDs and unsafe general merchandise is on sale. All of it is poor quality and some are even tooxic or a danger to health.  You describe them as viable. By that logic, Somchai who dumps toxic waste in the back country  has a viable business too. Until he gets caught he can pour his toxic waste into a field and poison people. No one  knows, right?

 

What you got realise is the same fake illegal import toxic unsafe junk is sold in MBK, pantip plaza pantip fashion mall and fortune town . street markets needed regulation not total removal, a lot of good was mixed in with the bad . I will miss the better parts of the street markets and sadness for the  boring empty sidewalks mirroring western idealism of corporate greed & ridiculous H&S concepts .

Edited October 16, 2016 by BuckBee

[mcfish]

What you got realise is the same fake illegal import toxic unsafe junk is sold in MBK, pantip plaza pantip fashion mall and fortune town . street markets needed regulation not total removal, a lot of good was mixed in with the bad . I will miss the better parts of the street markets and sadness for the  boring empty sidewalks mirroring western idealism of corporate greed & ridiculous H&S concepts .

You will be OK your just grieving, sounds like your still in the denial stage of the cycle and think acceptance is next? Won't take long

Me I live here and so excited about not having to crawl behind an Arab and his seven wives while he low balls trinket after trinket

Hopefully it will eradicate the Nigerian scum drug dealers that were able to blend into the chaos and take over the illegal soi bars

I went straight to acceptance and it's made my year! Woohoo!

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[BuckBee]

^
You should go home if found it so troublesome .

Drug dealers & whores will still be on the footpaths but lot more moaning westerners use those services I guess .

[geriatrickid]

On 10/14/2016 at 4:00 AM, Thaidream said:

There is plenty of room for everyone - however, it appears certain foreign residents want to control what happens in Thailand in regards to vendors and prefer to have Bangkok resemble the cities they ran away from. It never ceases to amaze me why people come to Thailand and try to remake it like the countries they were born in or lived in. 

 

Rubbish. This is your nonsensical unsupported claim. The opinions of the relatively small number of  foreign residents matter little to the Thais, as this is a Thai driven initiative.  When have the Thais ever  responded to  the needs or concerns of foreigners when it comes to the administration of bangkok? They  are not about  to do it now with something as local as the hawker stalls.

 

In case you missed it, the majority of foreigners in many parts of the touristy areas are  Indian, Arab and Chinese and they are used to such scenes. They  are hardly imposing their views upon the Thais.

[geriatrickid]

5 hours ago, BuckBee said:

^
You should go home if found it so troublesome .

Drug dealers & whores will still be on the footpaths but lot more moaning westerners use those services I guess .

 

They are not there in noticeable numbers now, except near soi cowboy and nana and the "ghetto" zone where they are contained. The main drug dealers operate from the relative security of the vendor stalls and many work together on behalf of the organized crime syndicate(s) who have control of the vendor stalls.  There has been a tacit understanding with corrupt law enforcement that they can operate if they are discreet and  pay the protection money. Elimination of their hiding places won't eliminate the problem, but will make it more difficult for them and will take a bite out of   corruption  since the local officials won;t be able to  get their cut of the  hawker stall revenues.

Edited October 16, 2016 by geriatrickid