The Central Administrative Court's ruling Wednesday ordering the dismantling of all five markets in the Seri Villa Housing Estate and compensation payments to plaintiffs will lead to City Hall "getting tough" with more than a hundred markets, the Bangkok governor says.
Aswin Kwanmuang said Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will crack down on markets in the city. After the ruling, he ordered officials to look into illegal markets in 50 districts and enforce the law against wrongdoers. Those who flout the law would be given until the end of the year to comply.
Currently, there are 364 markets -- 120 open-air ones with tents as covers and the rest in buildings, registered with the BMA, according to the latest City Hall survey conducted in March. More than 130 are poorly operated and fail to meet BMA health and environmental standards. Market operators that violate the BMA's 2001 ordinance Section 34 on market operations will face up to six months in jail, a fine of up to 50,000 baht or both.
Meanwhile, the BMA has completed an investigation against City Hall officials for alleged negligence in the case of the five Seri Villa Housing Estate markets. Mr Aswin said seven officials had been found to have committed malfeasance, including former and current chiefs of Prawet district office. He said he will call a meeting with relevant parties.
Three sisters from the Saengyoktrakan family who filed a suit in the Administrative Court against City Hall over illegal markets, thank the court for its ruling on Wednesday. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Speaking about Wednesday's court ruling, Governor Aswin said he would comply with the order to dismantle the markets but said he would appeal the compensation order because it was not a BMA concern.
"I don't dispute the order to dismantle the markets but I will consult with legal advisers to appeal the compensation. The BMA has nothing to do with it, so why should we use taxpayers' money to pay compensation?" he said, adding that the BMA has already dismantled three markets which did not have permits to operate.
The row was sparked when resident Boonsri Saengyoktrakan, one of the plaintiffs, and her sister used an axe and a metal pole to damage a pickup truck that was blocking their driveway.
The sisters live next door to one of the five markets, and complained they had been forced to put up with the frequent blocking of their driveway, and numerous other nuisances, for years.
It had finally become too much for them, they said.
They also complained about workers looking into their house from a market roof.