Night market closures rile city vendors

Nearly four weeks after the Chiayi City government ordered vendors at illegal night markets to shut down their stalls and pack up their wares, outrage over the decision continues to linger.

On Oct. 1, government officials told vendors to close up shop, citing concerns for public safety. But many vendors have defied the city's order, protesting on several nights since the ban went into effect.

To back up their order, city officials have used police units supported with the presence of fire trucks and water canons to enforce the shutdown.

The face-off between night market vendors and the city government has some in this town of 250,000 questioning the necessity of the city's move, noting that the markets have been an integral part of the city's nightlife for years.

According to Lee Shieh-er (李雪娥), a 72-year-old native of Chiayi, the market on Friday nights has been running for more than 20 years, attracting locals and tourists alike.

Centered around the city's sports stadium and jogging track, the Friday night market was the largest of the seven nightly markets, drawing thousands of people between 7pm and midnight.

But it was the market's popularity that posed the problem, according to police and city government officials.

The night markets had become too popular, creating a public safety problem. Some stalls had become fire hazards; pathways had become so congested with cars and scooters that fire trucks and ambulances would have a difficult time gaining access during times of emergencies, police officials said.

"The big Friday night market, and the other night markets, were basically illegal," said one source in the Chiayi City government. "Everyone knew that, the vendors too, and that's why they were closed down. It was time to take action."

According to city officials, vendors were notified about four months ago about the plan to shut down the night markets.

Since the crackdown, some vendors have found venues to sell their wares at new night markets that have opened outside city limits.

While most Chiayi residents have welcomed the closure of the illegal night markets -- and applauded the city government's actions -- some remember the markets with fondness.

"I used to look forward to Friday nights at the night market around the stadium. It had been there for as long as I can remember," said Ruby Lin (林桂印), a 27-year-old student at Tatung Junior College and a 10-year resident of Chiayi.

"It was always so crowded and full of people, and noisy and colorful. That's why I liked it. Now the place is deserted on Friday nights. Even the sidewalk food stalls that served fried chicken and sushi and corn-on-the-cob are all gone. I don't understand why it had to be shut down entirely."

Dong Su-mei (童書妹), 31, said that while she understands the need to improve public safety, she also feels that the city made a mistake in closing the markets down altogether.

"There could have been some improvements made. Maybe there could have been a quota on the number of stands to cut the number of vendors to a manageable quantity. But rather than do that, the city just closed everything down."

But Dong said vendors shouldn't have been surprised by the Oct. 1 crackdown.

"There were stories circulating in the local press and on TV that the night markets were going to be closed within the city, so everybody knew about it. It just seems like such a shame. The Friday night market in Chiayi was one of the best night markets in the whole of Taiwan, at least in southern Taiwan."