BMA bans all street food across Bangkok this year

[webfact]

BMA bans all street food across Bangkok this year
By Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

 

Yaowarat Road. / Photo via: http://www.thaiticketmajor.com

 

Despite international acclaim, Yaowarat and Khao San Road next targets of cleanup

 

BANGKOK: -- STREET FOOD vendors will disappear from Bangkok by the end of the year in the interests of cleanliness, safety and order, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) says.

 

In the capital, which is internationally recognised for its street food, famous locations such as Chinatown/Yaowarat and Khao San Road would be cleared of vendors in a bid to beautify Bangkok.

 

A month after the city was named the finest street food destination in the world by CNN for the second year, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) continued its operation to reclaim the pavements for pedestrians and announced that vendors would be banned entirely from the capital’s streets.

 

The CNN report said that “it is impossible to avoid street food in Bangkok, where sidewalk vendors in different parts of the city operate on a fixed rotation. It said that some take care of the breakfast crowd with sweet soymilk and bean curd, others dish up fragrant rice and poached chicken for lunch. The late-night crowd offers everything from phad thai noodles to grilled satay”.

 

Wanlop Suwandee, chief adviser to Bangkok’s governor, said yesterday that the internationally recognised areas of Yaowarat and Khao San Road would be the next target after they successfully cleared the pavements of food vendors in areas such as Siam Square, Pratunam, and the flea market under Phra Phuttayotfa Bridge.

 

“The BMA is now working to get rid of the street vendors from all 50 districts of Bangkok and return the pavements to the pedestrians. Yaowarat and Khao San Road will be our next goal in clearing out illegal vendors,” Wanlop said.

‘No exceptions’

 

While Wanlop said he was grateful for CNN’s recognition of Bangkok as the world’s best street food city, he said cleanliness and safety in the streets were the BMA’s priorities.

 

“The street vendors have seized the pavement space for too long and we already provide them with space to sell food and other products legally in the market, so there will be no let-up in this operation. Every street vendor will have to move out,” he said.

 

Piyabutr Jiuramonaikul, president of the Khao San Business Council, said he did not know about the BMA’s plans to manage the street vendors in Khao San Road and there would have to be further discussions with the city authority.

 

“There are more than 200 street food vendors in Khao San Road and they are the uniqueness of our district that attracts many tourists from around the world,” Piyabutr said.

 

Bangkok resident Romdheera Phruetchon said that while she agreed with the BMA’s efforts to create clean and tidy pavements, this could coexist with the preservation of city’s world-famous street food.

 

“The BMA should set up a zone for the street vendors, so they can keep their jobs and preserve the charm of Bangkok’s street food,” said Romdheera. “The people can benefit from selling goods, while the tourists can enjoy the unique street food of our city.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312543

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-18

[starky]

No more slings, I am guessing not much work for the food sellers who I imagine can afford a cart but not rent on a shop and no food for the thousands? Millions? for whom street food is basically their primary food source. So what? Get rid of the food vendors one of the great things about Thailand but keep the stalls selling the cheap knock offs, fake viagara, sex toys and weapons...?

[Andrew65]

49 minutes ago, starky said:

No more slings, I am guessing not much work for the food sellers who I imagine can afford a cart but not rent on a shop and no food for the thousands? Millions? for whom street food is basically their primary food source. So what? Get rid of the food vendors one of the great things about Thailand but keep the stalls selling the cheap knock offs, fake viagara, sex toys and weapons...?

“The street vendors have seized the pavement space for too long and we already provide them with space to sell food and other products legally in the market, so there will be no let-up in this operation. Every street vendor will have to move out,” he said.

 

Looks like it ain't just food stalls they're wanting to shutting down.

[ezzra]

Truth to be told, many of the vendors are out of control when it comes to containing their business on the footpath allowing passers by to walk comfortably, and all efforts to keep them within designated lines has failed, so it's remain to be seen how successful BMA will be this time to solve the

problem while preserving the charm of BKK food stalls....

 

[Moonmoon]

While some places are a nice welcome change after clearing the pavement, I believe they should not clean up all the street food vendors. 

Probably for KhaoSan and Yaowarat the BMA should regulate and issue licenses to the street food vendors who meet the health and safety requirements, thus preserving the street food heritage and also meeting health n safety requirements for the public.

[DrTuner]

Not that much of a loss. 99% is horribly greasy.

[jonclark]

Yup those boys at the BMA are on to a winner. In their haste ro beautify Bangkok to lure the tourist dollar they have oveelooked the fact that pretty much the entire working population relies on street food to get them through the working day. And we all know how much Thai folk like to nibble. Street food arose as a cultural reaponse to the Thai obsession with food.

 

 It seems that this dictate has arisen from another  Thai cultural feature of putting absolute dicks with  no understanding of the world aroumd them in positions of power. 

 

This will soon bw forgotten once the man or women who thought up this idea realises he or she will soon have to walk more than 50 yards to get something to eat if this plan is ever implemented.

 

 

 

[oldcarguy]

Chinatown is great BECAUSE its hectic , crazy, loud and crowded ,

 

and most of the food stalls are in the evening ,

 

I think health and safety requirements  are needed but not to get rid of them....

 

and another few thousand people without work.....

 

I bet 7-11 is happy , 

 

Ohhh but the new MRT stop is coming soon , so we must sanitize the area,,,,,,,yeah no thanks !

 

 

[Thechook]

What about the millions of rats that rely on street vendors

[Thechook]

15 minutes ago, jonclark said:

Yup those boys at the BMA are on to a winner. In their haste ro beautify Bangkok to lure the tourist dollar they have oveelooked the fact that pretty much the entire working population relies on street food to get them through the working day. And we all know how much Thai folk like to nibble. Street food arose as a cultural reaponse to the Thai obsession with food.

 

 It seems that this dictate has arisen from another  Thai cultural feature of putting absolute dicks with  no understanding of the world aroumd them in positions of power. 

 

This will soon bw forgotten once the man or women who thought up this idea realises he or she will soon have to walk more than 50 yards to get something to eat if this plan is ever implemented.

 

 

 

This is why the military should stick to marching up and down and not trying to run a country.

[onemorechang]

Not a good thing.

Yes they have taken the piss for years ,

But street food is part of Thai culture.

Leave it alone 

 

There are a few more bad things,   that are way more pressing,  that Thailand should address,

like what goes on ,  on the roads of Thailand.

 

 

Edited April 17, 2017 by onemorechang

[mstevens]

If this really does happen this is going to be terribly sad.  Fantastic street food is one of those things that separates Thailand from a lot of places and something I always enjoyed.  So sad.

[hansnl]

20 minutes ago, Thechook said:

This is why the military should stick to marching up and down and not trying to run a country.

As if civilian run governments, all over the world, do such a great job.

[BEngBKK]

I think the street food vendors are to much Nov..
Maybe a requirement for license and "Clean food" certificate would be better to lover the number of vendors.

I avoid street food in BKK, since most of it is not clean and 50% of it ,makes my stomach turn over...

But it is true that the street food vendors are a part of the soul of BKK.

 

Edited April 18, 2017 by BEngBKK

[AGareth2]

welcome to Singapore?

[AGareth2]

on a brighter note

a few more pissed off poor people won't matter

Edited April 18, 2017 by AGareth2

[dotpoom]

It would be nice if the footpaths were taken back from the motorbike repair guys, rentals etc., in Pattaya.

[quadperfect]

 Some real winners running this place. They have no idea what makes thailand good and why people come here . 

Cnn just told them whats great about bangkok. 2 years in a row.

This government does not care about tourism or its people. 

Tanks and submarines baby. Hooya

 

[BigBadGeordie]

16 minutes ago, hansnl said:

As if civilian run governments, all over the world, do such a great job.

No, that is true, but at least you can vote them out!

[ChrisY1]

48 minutes ago, Thechook said:

What about the millions of rats that rely on street vendors

Well.....yes..but they all work for the BMA!

[onemorechang]

Just now, AGareth2 said:

welcome to Singapore?

Unfortunately you are 100% correct

This is how they see themselves.

It will fail.

[rodney earl]

Another great initiative. The street food is some of the reason why people come to this country. Another shot in the foot maybe.

[doremifasol]

I couldn't care less about Thai street food which I stop buying

some 10 years a go. Buying street food in Thailand  equals to me

as overdosing on MSG, sugar and oils. 

 

No thanks

[jonclark]

25 minutes ago, hansnl said:

As if civilian run governments, all over the world, do such a great job.

That is hardly a good counter arguement. Because unsurpringly yhe huge majority of civilian governments do a far better job than any military government despite the huge imperfections in the civilian system of government.

 

If all of the civilian run governments were replaces overnight with military run ones. Do you think the world would actually be a better place? 

[Prbkk]

11 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

It would be nice if the footpaths were taken back from the motorbike repair guys, rentals etc., in Pattaya.

Yes, it's a selective measure: touts for restaurants, tailors, "personal services" will remain unaffected; so too, presumably, the structures actually BUILT on footpaths by building owners/occupiers ( including seating/garden beds/fish ponds etc), the permanent occupation by motorcycles, car parking and a host of other impediments to pedestrian movement. 

They will continue to try to make token "improvements" so long as there is no impact on hiso income. In respect of the streets and footpaths, the Bangkok "elite" will continue to do as they please, with impunity.

[fforest1]

Some ones has a dream to turn Thailand into a sterile lifeless

place like Hong Kong or Singapore...They have been slowly

chipping away at Thai culture for a few years now but luckily

the Thais are pretty resilient,and have been for centuries.. 

[hoyism]

As the big shopping malls go up,the street stalls disappear at similarly fast rate ; now you see them, now you don't..

 

ta-daaaaa!!!

 

it won't be long before that noodle soup, paad-thai or som tam that used to cost 30 baht will only be available for 100 baht at your nearest Starbucks - franchised establishment.

 

of course they're only doing it for quality control, health and safety, peace and love.... of course they are.

 

and what about those poor market-stall traders? and the local people who can't afford to pay extra for the smaller, tasteless portions, the plastic, and the air-con?  Will the powers that be find the traders another space for a 'small fee'? is that possible with so much land here being ear-marked for con-dominions and (of course) more shopping malls.

 

capitalism is alive and kicking in Bangkok. i'm just wondering how long the less affluent people here and those who are loosing their livelihoods will take it? 

 

 

[hoyism]

3 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

but luckily the Thais are pretty resilient,and have been for centuries.. 

 

this i really hope and pray will never change. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by hoyism

[SoilSpoil]

Illegal food vendors force my children to walk over the main road. They are blocking the pavement frying their chicken in rancid oils and distinct smells. Its about time to give the city back to its residents.

[nightbirdbs]

I just read this year i think 2 months ago Bangkok is Nr. 1 in the Worlds best Streetfood. Now i read this and just think how long the thai citizens let dance the hero on they noses whitout a protest.

I love Streetfood and i also mean a lot of farangs reason to visit Bkk is the Streetfood.

I guess a lot changes will be have some result & the poor people pay the fee in this Country for ........