Bangkok authorities to press on with street food ban despite foreign media shock

[webfact]

Bangkok authorities to press on with street food ban despite foreign media shock

 

Picture: Voice TV

 

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Municipal Authority are to press on with plans to clear food vendors from city streets despite widespread adverse comment from foreign media.

 

Several high profile foreign media sources lamented the decision to ban street food in the capital by year's end. The stories were in Time magazine, the UK's Guardian and Sunday Times, Russian media TV, a New Zealand newspaper and the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

They all commented on a story from the Nation that said despite CNN awarding Bangkok as world champion for street food two years in a row the BMA would be stopping vendors in the interests of hygiene and returning footpaths to pedestrians.

 

BMA representative Wanlop Suwannadee confirmed that they would press on with the plans despite some confusion from media foreign media, who bemoaned the decision. He also said that even if elections were held and a new governor came in he expected the plan to continue unabated.

 

Wanlop added that  vendors in Khoasan and China town will be moved off the streets into specially designed and well organised street food zones. 

 

Source: Voice TV

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-04-20

[fruitman]

Very good! If those foreign nations love streetfood so much they can introduce it into their own capitals.

[ukrules]

CNN, LOL - they're fake news central aren't they ? I'm not surprised nobody's listening to them.

[fforest1]

Say goodbye Pad Thai, Say hello Big Macs.....Amazing Thailand.....

Edited April 19, 2017 by fforest1

[AGareth2]

following the Singapore model

[steven100]

So all the farang whinges who thought this wasn't a good idea can now eat humble pie because news has come out that the food stalls are now going to be allowed but regulated better, safer, and allow less footpath crowding. 

[fruitman]

19 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Say goodbye Pad Thai, Say hello Big Macs.....Amazing Thailand.....

You never know what happens next in Thailand.

 

Maybe the malls now get huge pad thai kao pad shops at the entrance. We need chains for this  kind of food.

[leeneeds]

I love the street food carts and for such a little hassle in certain areas, ( gez  don't go there)

having my noodle soup from a Thai ladies cart on Petchaburi road for 7 years and for 25 baht where are 

you going to get such a cheap whole some meal, 

I say leave them be , most pay money to trade,

over regulated pathway is starting to impinge on the Thai-ness of 

Bangkok,

 

[InsertUserName]

I have no interest to eat in a dingy shitty over air-conditioned mall. These guys are part of bangkok life and should be allow to trade in a way they have always known. Ironically I've received considerably more bouts of food poisoning from restaurants than from street food. 

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by InsertUserName

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, AGareth2 said:

following the Singapore model

Yea except Singapore created places for the food carts to go...

They did not just come in like a bull in a china shop and declare

all changes will be made right NOW no exceptions.... 

Edited April 20, 2017 by fforest1

[InsertUserName]

Singapore - so boring 

[Thechook]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

CNN, LOL - they're fake news central aren't they ? I'm not surprised nobody's listening to them.

So when they report that the BMA are clearing the street food vendors it's not really true, it's fake news?  That would be a relief for the vendors to hear.

[SoilSpoil]

26 minutes ago, InsertUserName said:

Singapore - so boring 

No it isnt, its a wonderful city with beautiful parks, recreation areas, sublime sport facilities, great schools and lots of space for children to play.  I fail to see how Singapore is boring. Bangkok is dirty, jammed and there is no space to do any outdoor activities. 

 

 

 

[pentap]

I'm m in full support of this is move.

[geriatrickid]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

Very good! If those foreign nations love streetfood so much they can introduce it into their own capitals.

So very true. They are the first to complain about hygiene and  dirty restaurants in their own countries. 

Apparently,  it's alright if others can be at risk and suffer.

[the guest]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

Very good! If those foreign nations love streetfood so much they can introduce it into their own capitals.

It's the street food that attracts the tourists, without which Thailand would be in trouble. So it will be less of a reason to come here.

[geriatrickid]

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

Say goodbye Pad Thai, Say hello Big Macs.....Amazing Thailand.....

No, not at all. Have you ever been inside the food courts of the major shopping  malls, down in the basement? They have small vendors all offering affordable low cost Thai cuisine at costs similar to the  street vendors. The difference is that the legitimate vendors   are cleaner and  more likely to comply with the tax code, wage and benefit regulations and observe some basic  hygiene.  There are also markets in all urban areas where food vendors are located. There is no need for a food vendor selling the same processed mystery meats on every street corner.

 

 

[yellowboat]

Use to eat the best soup and noodle on Samsen road.  It was owned by three sisters.  They were lovely people.  Hope they are able to keep selling somewhere. 

 

Not against banning carts on walkways, so long as there is solution.  Their food is important to Thailand, and they are humble people just trying to make a living. 

[thesetat2013]

if all these rags are reporting the negative. i would not be surprised when TAT intervenes to reinstate the street foods once they are tourism dollars are dropping.

[Laughing Gravy]

So lets blame the foreign press. If Thailand allowed freedom of speech, then I am sure the Thai newspapers would have a say and show a disagreement/argument for the street stalls to stay, like good journalism should.

 

Still much easier to blame them pesky foreigners eh!

Edited April 20, 2017 by Laughing Gravy

[JCauto]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

So all the farang whinges who thought this wasn't a good idea can now eat humble pie because news has come out that the food stalls are now going to be allowed but regulated better, safer, and allow less footpath crowding. 

555555! You're new here, I take it?

Allow me to enlighten you how it works. Anything that is done here is done for one reason, and that's money. Perhaps the BMA or someone else is horning in on someone else's territory, or they've decided to up the rents and were getting too much resistance, but there's never been anything they do here for those reasons. Follow the baht.

[irwinfc]

nobody cares about foreign media here. just wait for the Thai public's backlash. that's what usually causes the U-turns.

[mfd101]

Visiting vs Living in: 2 different experiences & attitudes.

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

No, not at all. Have you ever been inside the food courts of the major shopping  malls, down in the basement? They have small vendors all offering affordable low cost Thai cuisine at costs similar to the  street vendors. The difference is that the legitimate vendors   are cleaner and  more likely to comply with the tax code, wage and benefit regulations and observe some basic  hygiene.  There are also markets in all urban areas where food vendors are located. There is no need for a food vendor selling the same processed mystery meats on every street corner.

 

 

They sell those fishballs on every corner. Same processed mystery fishmeat.

 

But you no understaan for the pad thai chain i'm talking about. There's so much difference in quality for pad thai or kao pad they need a chain for it, something like Black Canyon/Hachiban69  but specialised in fried rice/nooodle. With good tables/aircon/fast menu's,/drivethrough and so on, just like a MD.

 

There are not many places in BKK who can make really good fried rice and keep up all standards, that's why we need chains...

Actually it's quite disappointing to see how much thai food is sold in the malls, it's only in foodcourts and rarely in restaurants in malls.

Edited April 20, 2017 by fruitman

[Emster23]

3 hours ago, fruitman said:

Very good! If those foreign nations love streetfood so much they can introduce it into their own capitals.

 I'm from Portland Oregon and we have a thriving street food scene, along with designated areas for this sort of stuff (Usually a trailer instead of a cart, weather and all).

Late night comedians etc were talking about deporting of illegal Mexicans and what that would do to the taco truck business...

If you are familiar with New York, you may consider watching an episode of Law and Order.... quite often stop to get hot dog from street vendors.

[rodney earl]

In the interests of hygiene. Is he serious. What about all of the restaurants that are not on the footpaths.!!!

[phuketrichard]

3 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Say goodbye Pad Thai, Say hello Big Macs.....Amazing Thailand.....

why? plenty of cheap, inexpensive restaurants in Bangkok to eat at

[realenglish1]

To take away street food is decimating the culture 

 

This is not just convenience it is the culture and the government is damaging the culture A better move would be to set up a group from the health department and do an inspection of all food establishments on a regular bases

 

Establish high levels of cleanliness All your doing here is putting a lot of people out of work The Thai public have yet to react  

[fruitman]

26 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

 I'm from Portland Oregon and we have a thriving street food scene, along with designated areas for this sort of stuff (Usually a trailer instead of a cart, weather and all).

Late night comedians etc were talking about deporting of illegal Mexicans and what that would do to the taco truck business...

If you are familiar with New York, you may consider watching an episode of Law and Order.... quite often stop to get hot dog from street vendors.

I bet that NewYorkers won't accept clogged up sidewalks..or very narrow walkthroughs where they have to wait for a sunglasses vendor who occupied the floorspace for that.

 

People in metropoles have a busy life and shouldn't have to wait for nonsense on sidewalks. Nothing wrong with a vendor here and there but the main purpose of sidewalks is walking..

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

And on RT the minister of tourism refuted the clean up and said on her facebook page that this drive will only ensure that better health standards are implemented, vendors will be trained, but the food vendors will stay. Whatever they do in the end nothing will permanently change if it is not what the people want.