On Nut’s lively night market is the latest area to be targeted by developers, with hundreds of vendors being told they have just 11 days to clear out.
The tenants said they were notified last Monday of the deadline to vacate, which falls on Friday.
The land located opposite Big C is owned by Ekmahakij Co, the developer of Century The Movie Plaza, a multiplex cinema anchoring a shopping mall near Victory Monument.
The company had announced they would develop the On Nut site in 2007, but two years later postponed the plan.
Chonticha Sitthichote, owner of The Cocktail By Akrachai bar at the On Nut night market, said she would take a break from work following the eviction order, which would also force her 12 employees out of a job.
“If I had known three months in advance, I would have had time to notify my customers and find a new site,” she said. “But it’s so sudden that I don’t even have a place to keep the equipment.”
Her bar, which has been open for five years, serves 300-400 customers from 5pm to midnight, she said. Some 80% of the customers are foreigners, most of whom are regulars.
The On Nut residential area is popular with expats who take advantage of the more affordable rental prices compared to those closer to the city centre.
The night market, located next to the On Nut BTS station, is well-known for its beer bars, live music and street food stalls, which sell everything from Thai food to sushi and burgers.
A 29-year-old British expat told the Bangkok Post Sunday he had heard rumours 18 months ago that the market would be demolished, but he didn’t expect it to happen at such short notice.
“So many people use this place to hang out, eat and drink. It is very relaxing and the drinks are good value,” said the expat, who has been a regular customer at the beer bars for five years. “Foreigners around here are very sensible. They are here to drink and enjoy themselves and not go wild.”
The market also sells clothes and accessories.
Vendors say Ekmahakij Co has allocated 50 spaces for existing tenants to lease for a year.
A 34-year-old clothes vendor, who opened his stall eight years ago when the market started, said he might have to relocate to the Pratunam area so he could continue earning enough money for his car and condo repayments.
“They were probably afraid that the tenants would start moving out, so they didn’t notify us earlier,” he said.
Although he earns up to 200,000 baht per month, the vendor said 150,000 baht of that goes to rental fees. He had also committed recently to purchasing a condominium.
“If I had known that I would be out of work, I wouldn’t have bought it,” he said.