Bangkok street vendors: from Michelin star to fighting eviction

This article is about the eviction of vendors from the streets of Bangkok by the Thai government, and the backlash that it has received from the public. Street vending has always played a huge role in Thai culture, as it is a mean of livelihood for vulnerable people in society, with over 70% of them being women, and some with little children to care for. Human relations are also forged through these hawkers, with 87% of Bangkok residents buying food from street vendors, and this large human traffic also helps deter crimes by being the “eyes and ears of the neighbourhood”. This move of the Thai government in evicting street vendors to make way for developments such as public amenities, is hence also impeding the empowerment of the common folks through halting their means of sustenance and destroying the hub of Bangkok’s civilisation.

The irony in improving the lives of citizens through such developments is that it also increased the wrath of the people, who saw this move as a worsening of their living conditions instead. The drive to modernity in Bangkok is obvious - Siam Paragon, Central World, MBK are all names of shopping malls that are all too familiar with most Singaporeans who frequent Thailand. The rise of such homogenous modern buildings are rising in cities elsewhere in Asia too, and could possibly lead to the disappearance of local culture in favour of the modern. I empathise with the people of Bangkok as street vending is close to the heart because it is a space that allow for human connections to happen easily. This is why Pasar Malams – Singapore’s night market, are still well received by citizens, even though the things sold could be easily found in the nearest neighbourhood. It was never about the convenience or the appeal of the clean buildings, but the intimate human relations in a candid setting, which is also why tourists flock to Bangkok for a taste of the blithe life that is not just about skyscrapers. 

Must the progress of society always result in the replacement of local cultures with facades of modernity? Can national identity still be strong in an increasing homogenous world with the loss of local culture? Most of all, I wonder what would happen to the vendors who will be displaced, and where else in Bangkok can they find their footing in society– one that have no room for their way of life.