City tells Maha Rat vendors to move

City tells Maha Rat vendors to move

Sellers risk B2,000 fines for flouting order

The Buddhist amulet sellers of Tha Chan and Tha Phra Chan have been officially declared a nuisance, and authorities will start to clear them away Monday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)
The Buddhist amulet sellers of Tha Chan and Tha Phra Chan have been officially declared a nuisance, and authorities will start to clear them away Monday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

Vendors who ply their trade in the Tha Chang and Tha Phra Chan areas must move out Monday or risk a 2,000-baht fine for violating a city order.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said vendors along both sides of Maha Rat Road were given until yesterday to sell their products.

The government will begin its clean-up campaign Monday at Maha Rat Road to improve the area and return the pavement to pedestrians, he added.  

Tha Chang and Tha Phra Chan on Maha Rat Road are teeming with amulet, food and knick-knack stalls.

Walkways along Maha Rat Road had been taken up by stalls for years, making them too narrow for public use and often forcing pedestrians to use nearby streets which are unsafe, an official from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which oversees the areas, said.

The BMA had received several complaints from pedestrians against vendors along Maha Rat Road whose stalls prevent them from walking comfortably in the area, according to the official.

Authorities from Phra Nakhon district had erected signboards asking vendors who had occupied these areas to leave by Monday, he said.

Despite the authority's announcement, it appeared to be business as usual on Maha Rat Road Sunday afternoon.

A team of city inspectors, or tessakit have been stationed in the areas to ensure vendors are abiding by the regulations.

Violators would face a 2,000-baht fine for disobeying the city order telling them to leave, he added.

Amulet traders take up sidewalks in Tha Phra Chan and Tha Chang areas yesterday. Wichan Charoenkiatpakul

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was concerned about vendors who stand to lose their livelihoods as a result of the government's policy and has ordered authorities to speed up finding a new place for vendors, Maj Gen Sansern said.

He added that vendors would be asked to relocate to a new trading zone at Bang Buathong market on Rama 2 Road.

He claimed the public backs the National Council for Peace and Order's policy of reclaiming public areas and improving the city's scenery, particularly Saphan Lek Market that is nestled along Khlong Ong Ang near Damrongsathit Bridge.

The waterways along Khlong Ong Ang are being rejuvenated, the water is being treated and the landscape improving, as it is readied for recreational activities, he added.

Maj Gen Sansern said Gen Prayut wants the authorities to use Saphan Lek Market as an example for cleaning up public areas.

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