Food vendors fearful amid BMA move to sweep them away

[webfact]

Food vendors fearful amid BMA move to sweep them away
By The Nation, AFP

 

Pedestrians walk next to people having their meals at a street food stall along the pavement in Bangkok.// EPA PHOTO

 

BANGKOK: -- THOUSANDS of food vendors are fearful about their future after officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) declared their intention to clear them off streets for the sake of cleanliness.

 

For three decades everyone from police and builders, to street cleaners and partying rich kids have gorged on noodles at Uncle Pan’s street-side stall in Bangkok’s chic-est neighbourhood. 

 

But now the 67-year-old food vendor is no longer welcome at his pavement spot, amid a purge of food stalls by the city governor, who says they clutter up the capital’s curbs. With dishes that average Bt35-55 a plate, most of the city’s kerbside cooks don’t make a fortune selling their fare, which ranges from grilled seafood skewers to somtam. 

 

But they have won global acclaim as some of the finest fast food chefs in the world, fuelling a booming city besotted by eating.

 

Like his peers, Pan Chaiyasit works behind a small pushcart from where he dishes out yellow egg noodles, topped with pork and wanton dumplings, to customers who sit together on plastic chairs spread across the pavement. 

 

The family-run stall is a fixture of a neighbourhood that has exploded with development over the past few decades. But with the deadline to clear off the street expiring this week, Pan must either uproot his restaurant to a new locale or downsize so it doesn’t spill onto the sidewalk.

 

“I’ve been selling here since there was nothing,” the genial, apron-wearing uncle told AFP, explaining that the Thong Lor area was a tree-studded backwater when he first set up. 

 

Today, his customers sit ringside to a central artery of Bangkok’s ritziest neighbourhood, lined with tower blocks, upscale restaurants and nightclubs. That makes for a varied clientele that pulls from all layers of the social fabric. 

 

“Office workers, police, soldiers... even if they drive a Mercedes-Benz, they have the same right to eat here,” Pan said, wiping away a bead of sweat as waiters buzzed around him to serve an after-work crush.

 

Good business, which sees Pan rake in around Bt30,000 a month, rests on these close ties to the neighbourhood. 

“We all know each other in this street. Everyone, factory workers, company staff, they know me and we are friends... if we move, we won’t have these relationships.”

 

Yet city officials insist the footpaths must be “returned to the public” and have laid out a plan to bar tens of thousands of street stalls from main roads, instead squeezing them into side-streets or hawkers’ centres. 

 

Wanlop Suwandee, the Bangkok governor’s chief adviser, said local residents wanted to reclaim their pavements, so the BMA had to undertake a tough task to do just that.

 

“After the successful mission [to reclaim] several areas such as Siam Square and Pratunam, the BMA will manage the area in Bang Lamphu, as the next target,” Wanlop said.

 

“For areas that have already been managed, there will be strict law enforcement to prevent illegal vendors from returning to those areas. And if anyone finds illegal vendors, they can contact BMA officers to deal with |immediately.” 

 

He said this operation stemmed from many complaints sent to the BMA from local people, who were inconvenienced by being unable to walk on pavements occupied by street vendors. So, the city’s administrators had to take action and get street vendors to move into markets, where space was provided for them.

 

“City Hall used to allow these street vendors to legally sell [food] on the street in the specific areas, but since the city is growing, these areas where street vendors were allowed have to be revoked – to return the space because of the increased urban population,” he said.

 

However, workers such as Pan, whose lives look set to be greatly affected, are not sure what the future holds – other than more bowls of soup. 

 

“Even though we sometimes face troubles we have to keep selling. We have to fight to survive,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312637

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-19

[tracker1]

Makes one wonder what the intentions of this present day government are but from an outsiders view not good 

[Canceraid]

No they want everyone to eat in clean air-conditioned food courts that issue receipts ans where sales can be monitored for tax purposes and most of these food courts in Thailand these days are are run by foreigners especially  Singaporean Chinese and Malaysian Chinese and Koreans. (Thias take note!). The local ones are run by the Thai-Chinese conglomerates. Was at the newly opened Food Mall, Show DC yesterday. Besides a majority of restaurant serving Korean Shit Food (everthing  from pizza, noodles, rice, breads, seasoned with Korean Kimchi!)...there was only one food court...and guess what....half-size portions of various thai foods start at Bt 70 upwards. Well the local govt should increase the minimum wage to Bt 700 per day!

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

With dishes that average Bt35-55 a plate, most of the city’s kerbside cooks don’t make a fortune selling their fare

 

It costs the same in the foodcourts with nice airconditioning, good tables/chairs, free tv and so on...So how is that possible?

[Colabamumbai]

Maybe they do not want people socializing, eating and talking about the present government.

[yellowboat]

Seems like the iron fist of government wins again to the determinant of the average Thai and Hi-So's as well.  Don't waste time coming up with a reasonable solution. 

[CelticBhoy]

We like to complain about messy streets, motorbikes on the pavement, cluttered footpaths full of vendors etc. . . . but when the powers that be decide to do something about it we complain again!

I, for one, would love to see the pavements given back to the pedestrians. A wee walk round the flower market at Pak Klong is now a delight since the vendors were moved, it certainly wasn't for many years previous.

I think the 'hawker' style food markets of Singapore are great and could be a hit here too.

[jaywalker]

24 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Seems like the iron fist of government wins again to the determinant of the average Thai and Hi-So's as well.  Don't waste time coming up with a reasonable solution. 

Wait for it.......The Guv't will back-peddle on this one most likely.

[SoilSpoil]

8 minutes ago, CelticBhoy said:

We like to complain about messy streets, motorbikes on the pavement, cluttered footpaths full of vendors etc. . . . but when the powers that be decide to do something about it we complain again!

I, for one, would love to see the pavements given back to the pedestrians. A wee walk round the flower market at Pak Klong is now a delight since the vendors were moved, it certainly wasn't for many years previous.

I think the 'hawker' style food markets of Singapore are great and could be a hit here too.

7 - 11 will dive into this and go the Japanese way offering a large assortisment of meals. I wonder what is more detrimental: street food or microwave meals? 

[masuk]

2 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Makes one wonder what the intentions of this present day government are but from an outsiders view not good 

The story about the BKK street vendors has made the news in a great many countries, both TV and press.

I often wonder how many people in the cities actually 'walk' on these footpaths.   Seems to me the local folk go everywhere on their motor bikes, especially to the food stalls.

Singapore had the same problem a few years ago, and some very nice hawkers' centres were set up. Not underground car parks, but purpose-designed places.  They work a treat.

 

[darksidedog]

Street food is part of what defines Bangkok. By all means, smarten it up, regulate it a little, but taking it away will be like a nail in Bangkoks coffin.

[rodney earl]

So does this mean that they will fix the sidewalks so you can actually walk on them.

[geriatrickid]

Good on the BMA  for finally doing what should have been done years ago. Here's why these food stalls need to go;

1. Health and safety: Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year after eating at some of these places.  Dozens if not hundreds die. Yes, dehydration caused by a serious GI infection does that in the tropics. Many of the worst offenders do not observe the most basic of food safety.

 

Of those dismissing the risk, do you know how hepatitis spreads? Depending upon the type, it can come from an infected person handling food, or it can  come from the sharing of the unwashed communal cups. This is a known reality associated with these types of places.

 

2. Taxes: These  stalls  do not pay  tax. They take  municipal services but pay nothing. It isn't fair to the honest operators.

 

3. Respect for basic public pension, health benefit and wage rules:  These stalls do not respect the  rules that other businesses must respect. They have an unfair advantage.

 

4. General cleanliness: The  mess and filth they leave behind are a public health menace.

 

Close them down now.

[oztaurus]

" He said this operation stemmed from many complaints sent to the BMA from local people, who were inconvenienced by being unable to walk on pavements occupied by street vendors. "

 

I have heard that there is a primitive tribe in the Amazon that has no word for the number three. Their counting system goes 1, 2, .... many

I wonder if this is how the BMA rate complaints???

[oztaurus]

As far as I can see the main reason local Thai people actually walk on the sidewalks is to go to a hawker stall ..... otherwise they would get a motorcycle taxi

[Emster23]

I've been living in Thailand for 16 years. I eat food from food stalls and other places. I cannot recall last time I got sick from food stall food. Last two times I did get sick was from food at supposedly clean restaurants....  can you cite where you found data about " Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year". Food stalls can't hide what they are preparing, if see one dodgy, just try a different one.

 They do not pay taxes argument: I am sure the BIB get payoffs, which gets spread through the food chain of administration. The money they earn probably spent at shops to pay the VAT. How many thousands of people earn an honest living working these food carts? You want to throw them all into the unemployed? So much for support of SME business.

 It would not be all that difficult to paint lines on sidewalks limiting encroachment. Added incentive to police to enforce and get a little extra income.

[overherebc]

8 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I've been living in Thailand for 16 years. I eat food from food stalls and other places. I cannot recall last time I got sick from food stall food. Last two times I did get sick was from food at supposedly clean restaurants....  can you cite where you found data about " Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year". Food stalls can't hide what they are preparing, if see one dodgy, just try a different one.

 They do not pay taxes argument: I am sure the BIB get payoffs, which gets spread through the food chain of administration. The money they earn probably spent at shops to pay the VAT. How many thousands of people earn an honest living working these food carts? You want to throw them all into the unemployed? So much for support of SME business.

 It would not be all that difficult to paint lines on sidewalks limiting encroachment. Added incentive to police to enforce and get a little extra income.

They paint lines on the roads and no-one pays any attention to them. Why would the vendors pay attention to lines on the sidewalks?

[mtls2005]

4. General cleanliness: The  mess and filth they leave behind are a public health menace.

 

My favorite: watching the street vendor pour 10 liters of used cooking oil down the storm/sewer drain.

 

The open-air food courts, AKA hawker centers, in Singapore offer customers amazing, economical choices, and offer vendors a central supply of customers, electricity, water, etc. It's a win-win, but the government needs to push the ball forward. There are a fair amount of open-air food courts in Bangkok, typically located adjacent to wet markets. (Obviously there are a lot of indoor food courts as well.)

 

I think the "authorities" need a 'plan' rather than just issuing an order; but then issuing orders seems like a Thai social trait not easily modified.

 

Personally I like the food court concept.

[petedk]

16 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I've been living in Thailand for 16 years. I eat food from food stalls and other places. I cannot recall last time I got sick from food stall food. Last two times I did get sick was from food at supposedly clean restaurants....  can you cite where you found data about " Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year". Food stalls can't hide what they are preparing, if see one dodgy, just try a different one.

 They do not pay taxes argument: I am sure the BIB get payoffs, which gets spread through the food chain of administration. The money they earn probably spent at shops to pay the VAT. How many thousands of people earn an honest living working these food carts? You want to throw them all into the unemployed? So much for support of SME business.

 It would not be all that difficult to paint lines on sidewalks limiting encroachment. Added incentive to police to enforce and get a little extra income.

I agree with you to a certain point on this. Some places have really tasty food and I visit them often.

 

I have never been ill from street food, but I do have a good look at the vendor's cleanliness before I eat. Also I would never eat Som Tam Poo Pla Ra as I know many people who have been sick from eating this on the street.

 

One or two of the successful food stalls do tend to encroach sometimes and yes, these are annoying and should be controlled.

 

[petedk]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

It costs the same in the foodcourts with nice airconditioning, good tables/chairs, free tv and so on...So how is that possible?

 

Depends on which food courts and where you live.

Big C, Lotus and so on. Yes you can buy food at the same price, but ...................... it is tasteless.

 

The prices at Terminal 21 are reasonable and the food is good, but that is because the rent is kept low. No doubt the low rent will increase one day.

 

Other places like Paragon, Central World, Emquartier are overpriced.

[tonray]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

It costs the same in the foodcourts with nice airconditioning, good tables/chairs, free tv and so on...So how is that possible?

Don't forget the cut to the neighborhood head-man and beat cops.

[mtls2005]

22 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I've been living in Thailand for 16 years. I eat food from food stalls and other places. I cannot recall last time I got sick from food stall food. Last two times I did get sick was from food at supposedly clean restaurants....  can you cite where you found data about " Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year". Food stalls can't hide what they are preparing, if see one dodgy, just try a different one.

 They do not pay taxes argument: I am sure the BIB get payoffs, which gets spread through the food chain of administration. The money they earn probably spent at shops to pay the VAT. How many thousands of people earn an honest living working these food carts? You want to throw them all into the unemployed? So much for support of SME business.

 It would not be all that difficult to paint lines on sidewalks limiting encroachment. Added incentive to police to enforce and get a little extra income.

 

Most Thais get mild food poisoning quite frequently, they just don't talk about it a lot. 

 

My guess is that most street food you consume is cooked well beyond temperatures which most bugs can survive, and with all the oil, salt and ajinomoto it likely tastes good.

 

Most vendors shop at wet markets, no VAT there.

 

 

[baboon]

3 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Makes one wonder what the intentions of this present day government are but from an outsiders view not good 

Order, conformity, regimentation.

[Eric Loh]

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

think the "authorities" need a 'plan' rather than just issuing an order; but then issuing orders seems like a Thai social trait not easily modified.

 

That is exactly the crux of the whole exercise and the bane of government policies. Nothing is plan and all knee jerk and make the adjustments later. Most times, the policies are just abandoned or put away hoping the general public will forget it. 

 

You refer to the Singapore hawkers culture; the  transformation actually started in the 1970s and took a full 10 years to finally able to doggedly pursue, coax and educate the hawkers and holding them to a higher standard of hygiene. Newspaper played their part to educate the general public the benefits of affordable food in a clean surrounding.Days of hawker hygiene associated with typhoid and cholera outbreaks were highlighted. Took a full 10 years to resettled all the hawkers.

 

That seem an obvious failure of the BMA to build the alternative centers and give the hawkers incentive to re-locate. This order to move the hawkers is destined to meet with protests and very likely rescinded just like most policies. 

[Jimjim1968]

Small farms will go too one day.

[hansnl]

45 minutes ago, MaxLee said:

 

What if you work far, far away from those shopping malls and food courts, idiot....

Well, I presume the issue stated was prices, not distances.

Guess you have to walk far & fast then?

[JayBird]

4 hours ago, Canceraid said:

No they want everyone to eat in clean air-conditioned food courts that issue receipts ans where sales can be monitored for tax purposes and most of these food courts in Thailand these days are are run by foreigners especially  Singaporean Chinese and Malaysian Chinese and Koreans. (Thias take note!). The local ones are run by the Thai-Chinese conglomerates. Was at the newly opened Food Mall, Show DC yesterday. Besides a majority of restaurant serving Korean Shit Food (everthing  from pizza, noodles, rice, breads, seasoned with Korean Kimchi!)...there was only one food court...and guess what....half-size portions of various thai foods start at Bt 70 upwards. Well the local govt should increase the minimum wage to Bt 700 per day!

I think show dc was made specifically for tourists. Mostly Chinese. So not a very good example to use

[Xaos]

They going to ban street food in Bangkok after they won second time in raw CNN asia best street food. What I am missing?

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/08/foodanddrink/best-cities-street-food/

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[digger70]

There should be an easy way solve this problem,,Get the Government to allocate marketplaces an open areas,and in return for the extra cost for the Government All the so called Venders start paying some TAX,easy isn't it.

[dageurreotype]

2 hours ago, Emster23 said:

I've been living in Thailand for 16 years. I eat food from food stalls and other places. I cannot recall last time I got sick from food stall food. Last two times I did get sick was from food at supposedly clean restaurants....  can you cite where you found data about " Tens of thousands of  consumers become ill in any given year". Food stalls can't hide what they are preparing, if see one dodgy, just try a different one.

 They do not pay taxes argument: I am sure the BIB get payoffs, which gets spread through the food chain of administration. The money they earn probably spent at shops to pay the VAT. How many thousands of people earn an honest living working these food carts? You want to throw them all into the unemployed? So much for support of SME business.

 It would not be all that difficult to paint lines on sidewalks limiting encroachment. Added incentive to police to enforce and get a little extra income.

In my twenty years here I can recall getting very sick four times. That's how bad it was, I can remember all of them. One was from a long established  Swedish managed restaurant on Phuket, from a single baked potato of all things, another from a pricey Italian restaurant in Kao Lak, the third was a Thai place, an inside restaurant (the flies hovering around the door should have warned me :D ) and the fourth from some airline snack on the national carrier. Not one from street food, which tastes better anyway. However, I do believe there should be given much more consideration to pedestrians and a compromise reached, widen the paving or divide it together with repairing the stones and keeping motorbikes and cars from parking on it. Imagine 'Bangkok Boulevard' 

 

Nothing would entice me to a sterile 'food court' with it's rubbish 'food' ever again.