They sell everything from noodle soup to sex toys, but Bangkok’s famed street hawkers are now facing a crackdown as authorities in the fast-growing metropolis struggle to make space for pedestrians on the crowded pavements.
The move to relocate thousands of sellers from main roads to side streets or restrict touting to the night is part of a campaign to “reclaim the sidewalks” that comes as the government vows to “clean up” Thailand’s image.
Bangkok residents have long shared their streets with merchants, relying on them for cheap meals and household goods, while tourists can be seen haggling over knock-off handbags, T-shirts or cut-price DVDs.
The stalls that festoon many streets have come to define one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant cities, but are also prompting complaints from some Thais who decry them as hazards — raising questions over how the bustling capital uses its public space.
“We must return most sidewalks to the people,” Bangkok Police Major General Vichai Sangparpai said.
Action to tackle the congestion has gained momentum since the Thai military seized power in May last year, cracking down on activities including gambling and drug-use in a mission to “restore order” to the nation.
Operations are already underway to evict hawkers from cluttered beaches in tourist hotspots such as Phuket. However, for the most part, Bangkok’s vendors “will be allowed to sell” if they shift to designated zones or stop selling at peak hours, according to Vichai.
Pouring cups of instant coffee from his cart, Mongkol Moradokpermpun said he is one of 3,000 vendors at Khlong Thom market, in Bangkok’s historic heart, who were given until yesterday to relocate several kilometers away.
The 59-year-old, who has sold drinks at the same spot for three decades, is worried about the cost of commuting to the new site.
“If they don’t change their mind, thousands of people will suffer. It will affect our business. Every family will have problems,” he said.
Apart from congestion, the crackdown is also taking aim at the criminal networks — and graft-prone officials — that have flourished in-step with the mushrooming number of vendors.
According to Bangkok City Government, there are 20,000 registered vendors, but thousands more operate without a permit in a nation where a sprawling informal sector accounts for Thailand’s remarkably low unemployment rate.
A government survey in 2000 found up to 400,000 people touted goods on the capital’s streets, a number thought to have risen with growing numbers of middle-class vendors joining the ranks of lower-income sellers, many of whom have migrated from Thailand’s poorer northeast.
Some Thais laud Singapore’s move of relocating traders to dedicated hawker centers. However, Narumol thinks Bangkok could never go as far to de-clutter its streets.
“It’s too integral a part of Thai life,” she said.
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