TAT pushes back on street food ban

BANGKOK Bangkok’s street food culture will survive a crackdown on vendors, Thailand’s tourism chief vowed Thursday, assuring travellers that a city renowned for its chaotic charm was not being remodelled into a Singapore-lite.

The City Hall stunned Thais and tourists alike this week with plans to bar the capital’s world-famous food stalls from all main roads to reclaim pavements for the public.

On Thursday Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, pushed back against fears that Bangkok was being gentrified in the image of Singapore — a city that relishes orderliness but is often characterised as tame compared to its Southeast Asian rivals.

“We will keep our uniqueness. We won’t change our Yaowarat (Chinatown) into Orchard (road),” Yuthasak said, referring to a shopping district in Singapore with wide boulevards devoid of street life.

“(The plan) is not to totally take away street food from Bangkok streets, but there are some reasons and some places that will be reorganised,” he added.

Nearly two-thirds of Bangkok’s 30,000 street vendors have already been removed or relocated from pavements to open up space for pedestrians, according to city officials.

Vendors will be allowed to set up shop on smaller streets, while hawkers based in two top tourist hubs — Chinatown and Khaosan Road — will be reorganised but not barred completely.

“Bangkok has some of the best street food in the world, you cannot take it away from the people of the world,” the tourist governor told reporters, adding that he was meeting with city officials to discuss how the restrictions would be enforced.

Many are hoping the crackdown will wither like many of the other clean-up campaigns launched under the ruling junta.

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