Food vendors fearful amid BMA move to sweep them away

[seajae]

the food vendors etc are fine as long as they dont block off the foot paths for all the pedestrians and do not simply toss all their rubbish etc into the gutter. Trying to walk down some streets is near impossible as there is no room to do so due to the way sellers have set up their shops on the foot paths, in many cases you have to walk on the roads to get around them as there is barely enough room for 1 or 2 people to get past them. Then you have the cars that stop on the road to buy from them and block all the traffic causing more problems as well. I have walked down the streets where these sellers are after they close and the gutters move from all the huge rats that are busy gorging themselves on all the scraps that are simply tossed onto the ground but even during the day the gutters can reek from all the crap in them.

Some sort of control is needed, the way it is now the pedestrians cannot walk on the footpaths as intended due to these sellers, if they want to remain then something needs to be done. I feel sorry for the retailers that own shops as many of these sellers simply block them and in some cases take their customers while paying bugger all to be there. Putting them into clear areas where they do not block people and cause problems seems to be the only answer, the footpaths are either there for the everyday pedestrian or for these sellers to cause mayhem by blocking them, you cant have both

[dageurreotype]

3 minutes ago, seajae said:

the food vendors etc are fine as long as they dont block off the foot paths for all the pedestrians and do not simply toss all their rubbish etc into the gutter. Trying to walk down some streets is near impossible as there is no room to do so due to the way sellers have set up their shops on the foot paths, in many cases you have to walk on the roads to get around them as there is barely enough room for 1 or 2 people to get past them. Then you have the cars that stop on the road to buy from them and block all the traffic causing more problems as well. I have walked down the streets where these sellers are after they close and the gutters move from all the huge rats that are busy gorging themselves on all the scraps that are simply tossed onto the ground but even during the day the gutters can reek from all the crap in them.

Some sort of control is needed, the way it is now the pedestrians cannot walk on the footpaths as intended due to these sellers, if they want to remain then something needs to be done. I feel sorry for the retailers that own shops as many of these sellers simply block them and in some cases take their customers while paying bugger all to be there. Putting them into clear areas where they do not block people and cause problems seems to be the only answer, the footpaths are either there for the everyday pedestrian or for these sellers to cause mayhem by blocking them, you cant have both

I agree with the gist of your post but posts calling for designated areas in which these vendors can legally operate simply won't work. Notwithstanding the fact Thais are too idle to walk to them (I'd like to know which prime pieces of road frontage land would be made cheaply available btw, if they exist). When they'd scorch earthed Rawai seafront here on Phuket and designated another out of the way part of the beach with very limited parking, no one went there and the restaurants folded. They managed to decimate the original beach table restaurants for a couple of years, and now they're all back. Good. Those operating out of brick and mortar, ok, block and cement, restaurants served the most unappetising crap (for tourists) imaginable and customers have fled back to the beach, now they have the alternative denied them back. I know it's a bit apples and oranges but the underlying concept is that the 'proles' will always get their way eventually here. 

[fforest1]

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

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.

Some people dream of living in a totalitarian state.....

This has to be one of the most distasteful posts I have 

read on this subject so far....

 

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by fforest1

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

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.

As long as they don't have to pay "tax" to the BiB as well.

[sanemax]

16 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Some people dream of living in a totalitarian state.....

 

 

 

 

   Having rules and regulations doesnt make it a totalitarian state

Having no rules makes it an Anarchist state .

Although Thailand is somewhere between to two, its still closer to an anarchist state, than it is a totalitarian state

[yooyoo]

Clear them out !!! They make it virtually impossible for pedestrians to walk on the pavements while dumping their dirty oil and dishwater on the curb!! Bangkok will be a much better city without them!  Let them operate in sidestreets and so is off the main roads!!!!

[stephen tracy]

4 hours ago, overherebc said:

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?

The rain washes the lines away anyway.  I personally would miss the food stalls if they got rid of them.  I've lived in BKK for 10 years and never been sick from a food stall.  Where I usually go on Convent Road or Suan Plu they always clear up after they pack up. 

[stephen tracy]

21 minutes ago, yooyoo said:

Clear them out !!! They make it virtually impossible for pedestrians to walk on the pavements while dumping their dirty oil and dishwater on the curb!! Bangkok will be a much better city without them!  Let them operate in sidestreets and so is off the main roads!!!!

I think you should clear out and move to S'pore. 

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

“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. 

Poor guy is about to learn that life goes full circle. 

[elgordo38]

4 minutes ago, stephen tracy said:

I think you should clear out and move to S'pore. 

You forgot something in your statement this !!!

[elgordo38]

43 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

As long as they don't have to pay "tax" to the BiB as well.

Called double taxation. I think possum the tax you refer to has tentacles or barbed hooks on them. 

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, stephen tracy said:

I think you should clear out and move to S'pore. 

No need too , as the vendors have cleared out and moved 

[JayBird]

On the plus side, motorbikes now have more room on the sidewalk.

[DrTuner]

8 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

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? 

Horrible CP stuff or bad street food .. now there's a hard choice. Luckily it is possible to cook your own meals.

[sawadeeken]

What is with this Present government????....... Those people aren't criminals or 'reckless drivers'..... They are trying to make a living the only way they know, and they are "working''.... LEAVE THEM ALONE.....

Try to find something 'Positive' (Good) to do.....  This is not the answer to Thailand's Problems....... Giving your people a better education so they can qualify for jobs with all the foreign investors you are wanting to come here....... Until you educate enough people to get better jobs, leave these sellers alone........

My wife's family sold Bar-b-Q Pork an the streets for years. They had 5 or 6 locations in the family and were able to put 2 daughters and a son thru University and those kids all have decent jobs..... Those 3 kids were the first ever in the history of their family. The Present Junta cleared them off the sidewalks in the past year and now they are all back in their village eating 'basic rice and fish sauce' without the pork and chicken they could afford before....... And you have to realize that there was a 'demand' for their service and product......

Now the BMA together with the present gov't. wants to add more misery to the Poor Folks.

I think because they are no longer poor folks as they are 'Very Gainfully Employed' by the gov't. and look down on the poor folks since they feel now they are so far above them......

This is even worse than the Thailand I KNEW 30 odd years ago....

These are 'Poor People' who want to work....... Not 'poor people' as we have in the USA who only want more easy living and 'welfare checks' so they can can watch big TV's on soft Sofa's without working......

I 'personally' ADMIRE  people who will WORK.......  Give-em a break BMA

[BuckBee]

Expect she only contacted seller after found could not sell it for much or use it so the finder fee only way make the baht.

It thailand, money is number 1 religion here .

[fforest1]

Dont worry the once proud and independent former food cart
operators can get jobs at Mcdonalds,Pizza Hut and Starbucks...
Instead of serving up authentic Thai food at a reasonable price,
They will be asking you would you like some fries with that
burger Sir...
Ethnic Thai food is so yesterday...The future is Mcdonalds and Burger King...

[jadee]

The sidewalks outside where I live have been taken over by vendors. You have to walk into the road instead of on the sidewalk. I agree with the government's idea to crack down on this but can't help wonder what the solution will be. I do eat at foodcourts and think they are good, but the stuff I see for sale on the sidewalks is like from another universe - deep-fried parts of I don't know what animals - the feet etc. The Thais who eat there love this stuff and you can't really buy it in food courts as far as I can tell. I'm unsure what the solution is. 

[Thongkorn]

Think the underlying reason is they don't pay any tax. 

[Shaunduhpostman]

If they really want to clear every street of food vendors and keep it that  way they gotta real project on their hands. I find it hard to believe this will go beyond 10 percent of the entire area of jurisdiction.

 

I too have in-laws who recently have set up 2 food stalls and they are doing so much better than before, happier, more prosperous and they are making much better quality food than just about anywhere, so they make others happier and provide a real service. I don't really enjoy street food or the inconvenience and health hazards of the smoke and greasy pavements, but these are non-issues for most in Bangkok, so I don't think it would be a better trade off. It does seem to be a matter of a few wanting more  control and cutting corners to try and get it.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Shaunduhpostman

[starky]

14 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

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.

Think the oil isn't going down the drain in the foodcourt? 

[SiSePuede419]

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

 

My gf and I both ate the exact same food at the beach one day.  She got diahrhea, I didn't.  How is that even possible?

 

I suspect over use of antibiotics.

[sawadeeken]

19 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

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

 

My gf and I both ate the exact same food at the beach one day.  She got diahrhea, I didn't.  How is that even possible?

 

I suspect over use of antibiotics.

You are comparing two different 'Immune systems".... Your Immune system is stronger than hers..... 

Vitamin C is a natural booster of the human Immune system.... get her some....... take daily.......

[digger70]

On 4/19/2017 at 0:45 PM, possum1931 said:

As long as they don't have to pay "tax" to the BiB as well.

That's Not Tax That's Corruption at it's finest (:

 

[SABloke]

I would call that OP a street food stall - the vendor has an allocated little rented shop. Now for eveyone "up in arms" I shall repeat: cheap food will still be available in Bangkok, alley markets will still exist, foodcarts will still exist BUT the semi-permanent "restaurants" that take over a part of the sidewalk and at night just pack everything into a pile and cover it with a tarp are the "foodstalls" being told to leave.

[JAG]

1 minute ago, SABloke said:

I would call that OP a street food stall - the vendor has an allocated little rented shop. Now for eveyone "up in arms" I shall repeat: cheap food will still be available in Bangkok, alley markets will still exist, foodcarts will still exist BUT the semi-permanent "restaurants" that take over a part of the sidewalk and at night just pack everything into a pile and cover it with a tarp are the "foodstalls" being told to leave.

The trouble is that inevitably the establishments which you describe will negotiate "an arrangement" with the appropriate "enforcers".

The little old granny who supplements her meagre income selling soya milk and those little X shaped doughnuts at breakfast time will go to the wall...

[gemguy]

Inevitable evolution in many aspects as areas develop

Meantime if they gave the food vendors some sort of alternative rather than just shutting them down then you could very well see some sort of organised street vendor food operations developed in say designated places throughout each area.

They exist all over the place already but all the more will be needed.

If all the street food vendors were to be cleared off the streets, say tomorrow, then where exactly would hundreds of thousands and approaching millions of people eat everyday.

Remember,  Bangkok has a population of approximately 12 million people and when lunch time comes, half the city is out on the street searching for food and a place to eat and when dinner time comes it is similar as  Thai people commonly like to eat outside at side walk food stalls and try different places and different food dishes in the general area where they work or areas where they live. 

If that ability is taken away then the volumes of people would overwhelm the remaining (inside ) eateries and there will be lot of really hungry and pissed off Thai people.

If  the government creates a situation where millions of people have their daily eating patterns and eating habits compromised and the ability to easily feed themselves and create a big upset in how millions of people  obtain their food everyday along with an increase in the cost to obtain that food and all that is entailed........the masses of people will not be happy.

Street vendors occupying the side walks and selling clothes and toys and accessories etc. are a much different story.

We are talking about food here and the need for millions of people to eat everyday and that particular fact of life supersedes near everything else of importance. 

Take away peoples easy and convenient access to food and you WILL HAVE an unruly mob on your hands.

Cheers

   

Edited June 3, 2017 by gemguy

[YetAnother]

how boring is this story; thais breaking the law and coming up with the age old excuses that defy logic

[mok199]

extra MSG for me....

[YetAnother]

IC; the millionth case of encroachment; o let me guess, we have done it for generations