Bangkok officials have started clearing street vendors from Wat Rakang Kositaram, the Temple of Bells.
Several visitors to the temple praised the cleanup, after complaining that the vendor stalls had been blocking footpaths and parking spaces, Thai PBS reported.
“Usually, entering the temple feels like going to the market. Now, it is looking much more like a temple,” one visitor said.
However many vendors were unwilling to move, saying they had been doing business at the temple for more than 20 years.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) told them to sell goods in front of their own houses in the Rakang community instead, but some argued that there was not enough space there.
So far the BMA has evicted aroung 14,876 vendors from 39 public areas across 21 districts as part of a clean-up campaign.
After Wat Rakang it will target Pak Khlong Talat flower market, areas under Phra Pok Klao Bridge, Pratunam and Banglamphu markets, and Siam Square.
Related:
Don’t come back: Officials threatened with punishment if allow street vendors to return
Reader Interactions