The Social Cost Of Bangkok Saying Bye To Pad Thai

Amos Roberts

 

BANGKOK: -- Cleaning up the Thai capital is leaving a sour taste in the mouths of its street food vendors.

 

Dr Vallop Suwandee is a man who appreciates tidiness. When I first meet the senior advisor to Bangkok's governor, he's clearly bothered by the fact that I've moved some chairs to make room for our interview. Muttering about the mess, he starts lining up the rogue furniture in a tight row against the wall.

 

This neat-freak is the public face of a controversial campaign to clean up the Thai capital. But what happens when the objects out of place are people rather than chairs? Thailand's military seized power three years ago and launched a campaign of "cleanliness and order". In Bangkok that's meant evicting more than 10,000 vendors whose unregulated sidewalk commerce often forces pedestrians onto the street. The lottery sellers of Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the amulet market at Tha Prachan, the florists outside the Pak Khlong Talad market... all gone.

 

Dr Suwandee says the authorities are responding to complaints about congestion, and somewhat bizarrely frames it as a democratic initiative -- the city is reclaiming the sidewalks for the public! But it's raised concerns that by heading down the same path as Singapore, Bangkok is becoming bland.

 

Full story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/amos-roberts/the-social-cost-of-bangkok-saying-bye-to-pad-thai_a_23013075/

 

-- HUFFPOST 2017-07-03

 

OCD?

2 hours ago, ianc66 said:

OCD?

I also like the term "neat-freak".

Great, another nutter in a decision making position in an unelected government.  They are ruining a perfectly good country. 

Seems like they are trying to turn BKK into a model twin city of Singapore. Not a good idea!

Good article. Spot on! 

A post containing an offensive comment has been removed. 

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Clearing the sidewalk is a priority. Put a large market somewhere and let those who want to eat Thai food go there instead.

Clearing the sidewalk is a priority. Put a large market somewhere and let those who want to eat Thai food go there instead.

Are you serious?

Over the years I've often been annoyed by street vendors completely blocking the sidewalks forcing people to walk out in the street, dodging traffic, just to get from point A to point B. So any government attempt to regulate this is somewhat welcome.

 

However, as usual, they take it way too far, and try to eliminate street vendors entirely, completely killing the street life that for so many, tourist and local alike,  make Bangkok an interesting place. How about just regulating it with a bit with common sense for a change? That was a rhetorical question by the way.

19 hours ago, webfact said:

the florists outside the Pak Khlong Talad market... all gone.

I was in chinatown some months ago and there's a new hall full of flower-wholesale and whatever...it's close to the river.

On the road were also plenty flowervendors plus they own the shops along the sidewalks to sell flowers.

 

And pad thai i sure won't stop eating, also restaurants sell it for takeaway.

 

 

11 hours ago, CLW said:

Are you serious?

Yes. The one I frequent in Pattaya/Jomtien is great. You can go with a crowd of people, sit together and everyone can order their dishes from different stalls serving different types of food. Always a good selection of drinks, Thai beers, smoothies, sodas etc. No being run over by passing motorcycles on the pavement. No being jostled as walkers try to squeeze past. Off road, off footpath, street food markets are the way forward.

 

P.S. It's safe for the kids to run around in too.

 

The delicately balanced vats of bubbling hot oil on the footpath freaked me out.