Killing the Khaosan goose

[rooster59]

Killing the Khaosan goose

By Kornrawee Panyasuppakun 
The Nation weekend

 

Photo courtesy of Nutcha Aree

 

Tourists will desert the area, or even Bangkok, if daytime stalls are not restored, say visitors and street vendors

 

Khaosan Road – the backpackers’ mecca – has it all, from cheap T-shirts to elephant-print baggy pants, from tattoos to henna painting, from budget guesthouses to massage parlours and even tour packages to southern islands.

 

The world-famous Bangkok destination attracts hordes of international youth with offers of street food, beer and a chaotic, lively nightlife. Just about everything and anything is available at all times of the day. 

 

However, the municipal authority wants to bring order to the late-night carnivalesque atmosphere.

 

Since August 1, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has strictly enforced the rarely-used Public Cleanliness and Orderliness Act 1992, which forbids daytime street vending. Under the recent sweep, the street stalls have been banned from doing business in front of guesthouses, cars, cafes and shops during the day. 

 

City Hall’s plan only allows the previous daytime vendors to hawk their goods and services on the road from 6pm until midnight. The BMA is expected to allow vendors to hawk their wares from 4pm next month onwards. 

 

The plan, however, isn’t popular with tourists and shoppers. The authorities are now working to solve this roblem with a public hearing to allow street vendors and store owners to air their views.

 

From around 9pm to 3am, backpackers use Khaosan as “party central”, rather than a shopping fair, vendors told The Nation on a recent night-time visit. Electronic dance beats can be heard blaring from clubs and bars. 

 

Along both sides of the road, carts and stalls are lined up, offering late eaters pad Thai and mango sticky rice. Several smiling hawkers offer “laughing gas” or a crispy fried scorpion. Local and foreign partygoers flock the street daily. 

 

“It’s my first time here in Khaosan. I’d heard that it’s brilliant and fantastic,” said Matthew Bechus, as he and a friend tuck into Thai delicacies at a stall nearby. “Now that the footpaths have been cleared, it’s sad. It’s a big tourist attraction and brings income for people and jobs and everything. I hope it comes back.” 

 

Russel Green, a tourist from South Africa said the new Khaosan was nothing special.

 

“If they clear out all the stalls, there will no longer be a reason to come to Khaosan,” he said. Green and his friend were “disappointed” while strolling through the area in the afternoon. “I would say tourists under the age of 30 visiting Thailand only come to Bangkok to visit Khaosan Road. Without Khaosan, they will have no reason to visit Bangkok. They will go straight to Phuket,” he predicted.

 

Under the new restrictions, Khaosan Road now looks like any other place in Thailand. While most of the 30-million annual visitors are foreign, not all choose to stay in the area’s hostels, guesthouses and hotels. 

 

Rujira Raokhekit, a Thai who came with her boyfriend, said: “I have been here many times at night for parties. I don’t usually come to Khaosan during the day, but I think today it is quieter than before.” 

 

The peak selling hours for vendors and stall owners used to be from 2pm to 5.30pm, vendors said. After 8pm, people usually come for food, music and beer. 

 

When daytime trading was banned, Bangkok officials allowed them to set up stalls from 6pm, which vendors say will only give them three hours to sell their goods. 

 

“After that, the music is too loud and the crowd is not in the mood for shopping,” said Sukwasa Kurattana-sinchai, who has been selling T-shirts on Khaosan since the Tom Yum Kung crisis hit Thailand in 1997. 

 

“Most of our customers are backpackers who came to stay in budget guesthouses. They often travel light and come here specifically to buy comfy cotton pants and sleeveless T-shirts to wear for their whole trip,” Sukwasa said, as she waved at a group of backpackers. 

 

She said that from about 8am until late afternoon, Chinese tourists would normally drop by Khaosan after visiting the Grand Palace and enjoy an hour-long shopping spree. Most foreign tourists visit Khaosan in the morning for souvenirs before their flights home in the afternoon. 

 

Most vendors believe that clearing out the stalls is a bad move. 

 

“The prices in shops are usually high, which is probably why the stalls are banned in the afternoon,” said another vendor as he waited to set up his bag stall at 6pm. “Now you see most tourists walking without any shopping bags.” 

 

If the ban continues, tourists will not bother to visit Khaosan, he said. “They won’t even stay close to Khaosan. Why should they? There is nothing to buy during the day. They could book a hotel in Pratunam or Bo Bae [two famous shopping districts a half-hour ride from Khaosan] and take a tuk-tuk to Khaosan for the nightlife,” he said.

 

Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said after a meeting with related agencies on Friday that to help solve the problem, the BMA will draft a regulation allowing Khaosan vendors to trade from 4pm until midnight.

 

The regulation will includes pavement trading in nearby streets of Banglamphu such as Rambutri, Chakrabongse, Krai Sri, Sip Sam Hang and Tani.

 

Over the next 10 days, Phra Nakhon district will collect opinions from street vendors and building owners. “All vendors must register with Commerce Ministry. We will make it legal and transparent,” he said.

 

“We are trying to find the middle ground for everyone. The street vendors can’t have everything. They can’t expect to use the footpaths all day.” 

 

He added that the vendors must not block the footpaths and stalls can be no bigger than 1.5 square metres. 

 

“We will also ensure that there is one stall per vendor,” Sakoltee said in response to claims by Bangkok officials that some vendors owned as many as seven stalls.

 

 Yada Pornoetrumpa, president of Khaosan Road Street Vendors Association, said: “The officials don’t understand the situation of Khaosan. Many vendors trade in the daytime.

 

 “Ideally, I want Khaosan Road to open 24 hours. They think vendors are greedy. But actually, stalls could help look after the street’s hygiene.” 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351916

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-11

[mok199]

Sad as everything most of us loved about this Kingdom is getting a poor quality chrome and polish ...when most of us just want '' old thailand'',not another new shopping mall...Thais just don't get it...

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, mok199 said:

Thailand just does not get it,if tourists wanted a manicured holiday , many places exist with this nation..some people just want raw ..

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

[Samui Bodoh]

This whole episode is one of the stupidest public-policy fiascoes I have ever seen, and coming from someone who lives in Thailand, that says a lot.

 

Fundamentally, this is the difference between a military government which farms out policy to the bureaucracy and an elected government; the bureaucracy merely sees that the 'rules' aren't being followed and thus things must be changed/fixed while an elected person who communicates with their constituents would see hundreds/thousands of peoples' livelihoods and a prime tourist area. And, the elected person would leave it alone.

 

Khao San road is a tourist attraction in and of itself and has been for literally decades; just about every backpacker (millions of them, literally!) for the last 50 years has stayed there for at least a night, and it has been the 'gateway' to Thailand all that time. The reason for its popularity has been because it is a lively place; there is always something going on; hey bureaucrats, tourists, especially young tourists, like that. If you remove that which gives life to the place and turn it into just another stretch of concrete, people won't go anymore. Duh!

 

Bureaucrats simply looked at the place and, taking their cue from the Junta, saw that laws were not being followed and embarked on a fun-killing process. Why? Because it was there. Allowing bureaucrats (and I would bet huge amounts that the final decision-makers never even went there) to decide things like this leads to a sterile, non-fun environment that follows all the rules to the detriment of humanity and isn't "Sanook".

 

Khao San road wasn't broken. Khao San road isn't broken. Khao San road is "Sanook!"

 

Stop trying to "fix" what isn't broken or you will certainly ruin one of Thailand's greatest tourist attractions.

 

 

[mok199]

12 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

well then ...they will have empty malls and beaches filled with power boats to shuttle the budget tour Chinese and Indians to and from once beautiful prestine islands,  .. the diversity of travelers and expats in over...now it is just a steady flow of budget tourists as Thailand is just a cheap'' holiday machine''..and Thailand owns this absolute F%^k up

[cyberfarang]

The municipal authority wants tourists to use the shopping malls, to buy in expensive shops, eat at expensive restaurants and stay at expensive hotels. This new clamp down I guarantee has been initiated by big businesses for the benefit of big businesses. 

 

Now the T.a.T is emphasising on the Chinese and other South East Asian tourists, it`s no longer catering for western visitors on limited budgets, as has already happened in Chiang Mai. The days of Thailand offering cheap food, cheap booze, cheap accommodation and cheap sex are nearing the end. This is not about image as the authorities would like us to believe, but about big business and they`re gotten greedy.

 

Thailand is no longer the fun destination it used to be.

[mok199]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

yes Thailand is still waiting for the ''well heeled euro and Chinese ' as they build new malls and the older malls ( 4 yrs) fall empty and buinessess are now closed and boarded shut'..Thailands only hope is casinos...just go for it build a few huge vegas style casino/hotel ,whats left to lose really.,Thailand sold out years ago with over development...I shake my head as I watch the latest disaster unfold ,pattaya beach renewal with sand bags 6-8 inches under the final top layer of sand(of which to be washed away the first flood) thus leaving pattaya beach as a ''sand bag beach''from dusit to walking street ..but pattaya city is not concered with a real beach ,they want a functional boat launch beach ( the tour groups run the show, and they need the power boats on this beach to shuttle to and from islands and parasails) ...yes this is the dream..and now they have it....along with the most honest taxi drivers in the world...the end

[Development at Khaoyai]

Sometimes tradition should be left well alone!  Don't alter what has been a Golden Goose for so long, and is synonymous

with Bangkok in many young travellers' minds!

[sammieuk1]

At least rats and cockroaches can claim victory  

[BestB]

Have to admire the thainess, first they killed it and now they want to hear opinions and ideas to revive it . 

 

Absolutely brilliant way of thinking

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, mok199 said:

yes Thailand is still waiting for the ''well heeled euro and Chinese ' as they build new malls and they older malls ( 4 yrs) fall empty and buinessess are now closes and boarded shut'..Thailand only hope is casinos...just go for it build a few huge vegas style casino/hotel ,whats left to lose really.,Thailand sold out years ago with over development...I shake my head as I watch the latest disaster unfold ,pattaya beach renewal with sand bags 6-8 inches under the final top layer of sand(the sand to be washed away the first flood) thus leaving pattaya beach as a ''sand bag beach''..but pattaya city is not concered with a beach ,they want a functional boat launch selfie area ...yes this is what Thailand wants..and now they have it....along with the most honest taxi drivers in the world...the end

There are a lot more tourists/holidaymakers coming to Thailand these days .

A good few years ago, Thailand was prominently a destination for dollar a day backpackers and they all converged on KSR , backpackers walking abound looking for dives to stay in and spending as little money as possible .

   Tourists, (not back-packers) dont come to Thailand to go to KSR and have 30 Baht noodles on the street .

   The shopping malls are mainly aimed at local Thais and the richer foreigners , back-packers dont tend to go shopping in malls

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

I'm glad to see a TV poster speaking for an entire country. You must know A LOT of Thais. I don't know a lot of Thais, maybe a hundred or so but I can tell you that they don't like the direction Thailand is heading. ?

[sandrew33]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

You speak for Thailand? 

 

The reality is that Thailand can't speak as those who usurped power won't give if back to the people of Thailand so we have no idea what Thailand wants. 

 

Anecdotally I can say that ordinary Thais who grab lunch (on break) outside the malls and higher end places don't want things to change. Same with the vast majority of poor Thais. 

 

There is no doubt that hiso Thais who find these things an inconvenience and see Thailand one day as Singapore lite are in favor. They are also the only ones the current regime needs to curry favour with. 

[Chrisdoc]

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .
Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .
   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

I don't think you have read the article properly. The conflict is about traders wanting to trade during the day and the authorities saying they can not trade till after 6 pm. There is no mention of stopping the backpackers in the evening. I came from St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia which in the last 10 years has been taken over by backpackers. The locals don't like the backpackers much but the government and the local traders love them. They provide seasonal labour and spend the money in the local bars and accommodation.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

I'm glad to see a TV poster speaking for an entire country. You must know A LOT of Thais. I don't know a lot of Thais, maybe a hundred or so but I can tell you that they don't like the direction Thailand is heading. ?

I am speaking about what the Government of Thailand want .

And they are the only people that matter , because they make the rules

[yellowboat]

This is just the more blatant,  latest efforts to sterilize all that is good in Thailand.   Been happening since the army has seized power.  Spoke to many foreign business owners and backpackers there.  Most didn't care that the army seized power.   A few months after the coup, the managers started noticing a steep drop in their regular, foreign customer.  Most of those business are gone now.  Wonder how the backpackers feel now.   This junta is killing Thailand. 

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, Chrisdoc said:

I don't think you have read the article properly. The conflict is about traders wanting to trade during the day and the authorities saying they can not trade till after 6 pm. There is no mention of stopping the backpackers in the evening. I came from St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia which in the last 10 years has been taken over by backpackers. The locals don't like the backpackers much but the government and the local traders love them. They provide seasonal labour and spend the money in the local bars and accommodation.

The authorities shut down all the stalls in KSR a few weeks ago , now the authorities are considering giving the traders some stalls in the evening , this is an on-going story .

    If all the stalls are gone for good , back-packers will not converge in the area in such numbers

[newatthis]

12 minutes ago, sandrew33 said:

You speak for Thailand? 

 

The reality is that Thailand can't speak as those who usurped power won't give if back to the people of Thailand so we have no idea what Thailand wants. 

 

Anecdotally I can say that ordinary Thais who grab lunch (on break) outside the malls and higher end places don't want things to change. Same with the vast majority of poor Thais. 

 

There is no doubt that hiso Thais who find these things an inconvenience and see Thailand one day as Singapore lite are in favor. They are also the only ones the current regime needs to curry favour with. 

Sadly, it is these Thais who did nothing and will do nothing to stop this current [and it will be future] regime. They will let the hisos reign over them and then will eat their lunches and dinners at the new hawker centres that will be established.

 

Also, if these vendors had been more considerate of both the pedestrians and the brick/mortar shop owners in the first place, then this blow-up would not have occurred.

[phantomfiddler]

Too many rules and regulations, by far, some of them ridiculous, and tourists will soon start to look for new destinations. Very sad ?

[lanista]

It doesnt matter what  ' big fat whitey'  thinks.  The Thai army  will run Thailand like a boot camp because thats what the army do.

One way or the other  Gen Prayuth will be gone next year  along with all his gangster friends.

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Too many rules and regulations, by far, some of them ridiculous, and tourists will soon start to look for new destinations. Very sad ?

No, previously there were no rules or regulations at all , any rules or regulations were not observed due to bribes paid to the people who were supposed to be upholding those laws .

   The Gov is now clamping down and corruption and bribes and imposing the rules and regulations 

[cyberfarang]

29 minutes ago, Chrisdoc said:

I don't think you have read the article properly. The conflict is about traders wanting to trade during the day and the authorities saying they can not trade till after 6 pm. There is no mention of stopping the backpackers in the evening. I came from St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia which in the last 10 years has been taken over by backpackers. The locals don't like the backpackers much but the government and the local traders love them. They provide seasonal labour and spend the money in the local bars and accommodation.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Similar happened in Italy about 25 years ago.

 

After the Berlin wall came down and the Eastern block was open, many Eastern European tourists began holidaying in Europe, Italy became a favourite destination for poor Polish tourists. Very soon the Italian authorities began clamping down on East European tourists and today Italy has become one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Europe.

 

It appears similar is happening in Thailand. Last year I visited Vietnam for the first time and was shocked to see how cheap Vietnam is compared to Thailand.

[NCC1701A]

the party has been over for four years.

[miamiman123]

This is the plan for ALL of the Kingdom. 

[MaxYakov]

"However, the municipal authority wants to bring order to the late-night carnivalesque atmosphere."

 

Peace and Prosperity Order.

[CGW]

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

Thailand does "get it" , you dont understand that Thailand doesnt want it .

Thailand doesnt want dirty streets and dirty back-packers drinking buckets on the streets until morning time .

   Some people may indeed want "raw" , Thailand doesnt want that

Exactly! how many of these stall owners pay taxes. Governments are corporate run affairs, they will make money ?

As to people wont come to Thailand anymore, that has been said for years and remains untrue!

Do I personally like what is happening? No, but "governments" do what they are elected to do ? 555

[CGW]

18 minutes ago, miamiman123 said:

This is the plan for ALL of the Kingdom. 

This is the plan for the world! have you not noticed ? 

[poohy]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

I am speaking about what the Government of Thailand want .

And they are the only people that matter , because they make the rules

You seem to forget Thailand does not have a democratically elected government just a bunch of thieving generals lead by an incompetent nincompoop .

They make rules !!!they would not know what rule was if it smacked them round the head

so they are hardly in a position to decide anything for anyone

[TKDfella]

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

I'm glad to see a TV poster speaking for an entire country. You must know A LOT of Thais. I don't know a lot of Thais, maybe a hundred or so but I can tell you that they don't like the direction Thailand is heading. ?

In that case it's a pity they don't voice their political opinion with the same enthusiasm as they do for Khaosan Road.

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, poohy said:

You seem to forget Thailand does not have a democratically elected government just a bunch of thieving generals lead by an incompetent nincompoop .

They make rules !!!they would not know what rule was if it smacked them round the head

so they are hardly in a position to decide anything for anyone

Whether you like it or not , they ARE in a position to decide everything for everyone