City Hall has told 529 stallholders near the clock tower at Chatuchak weekend market they must move out by April 30 to make way for planned redevelopment.

The instruction was issued by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's market office.

Vendors at Chatuchak weekend market earlier asked Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to investigate the management of the market office over its refusal to renew the contracts of 529 stallholders.

The market office chairman said the vending areas in these zones were not pretty and the pathway area had been reduced to only 9 metres, from the original 19 metres. There had been complaints from shops in the area that they were now hidden behind stalls. There was also poor air circulation, he said.

As the contracts for the 529 stallholders expired on Oct 31 last year, the BMA had planned to develop the clock tower area as a new landmark, to draw tourists to the weekend market, he said.

The market office had extended the vending period for those expired stallholders until April 30.

Stallholders who were did not owe outstanding rent were earlier allowed to choose other vending stalls at the market. There were about 200 stalls available and the normal 60,000 baht fee was waived, he said. But only 15 vendors accepted the offer.

Of the 529 stallholders affected, 122 owed back-rent to the market office.