The Bo Bae traders were handed a notice in early 2003 to remove their stalls and merchandise - which they had set up on public properties in defiance of city ordinances - and move their businesses to a nearby commercial building or some place else. Former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej has left office and Apirak Kosayodhin has taken over, but the clothing traders remain in place.

The traders insist they are entitled to conduct their businesses on public property because it has been part of their way of life, and their livelihood depends on their continuing to do so. Never mind the fact that they have been making their living, even enriching themselves, at the expense of pedestrians, whose rights to use the footpaths unobstructed have been violated.

By setting up stalls on sidewalks, traders force pedestrians into traffic lanes, causing permanent congestion in the area and surrounding streets. 

The city government has achieved considerable success in most areas of Bangkok in its crackdown on illegal occupants of sidewalks and public roads. In some places there has been noticeable improvement in the imposition of orderliness. But the Bo Bae wholesale clothing market has stood out because the stubborn traders are strongly united in their resistance to the city government's eviction order. Attempts in recent weeks by the BMA to forcibly dismantle their stalls have led to clashes between officials and stall-keepers.

To avoid violence, the BMA has held a few rounds of talks with the Bo Bae traders, with a view to persuading them to come to their senses and stop their selfish use of footpaths and public roads for commercial purposes. But all attempts at reasoning have so far fallen on deaf ears

The BMA must not relent in pushing ahead with the ongoing orderliness campaign. City ordinances must be enforced and orderliness must prevail to make sure pedestrians' right to use the footpaths, and motorists' right to use public roads, are upheld.

It must be made clear that public spaces will be reclaimed from illegal hawkers and that no particular group of people - no matter how vocal and united in number - should be allowed to continue to pursue their selfish interests at the expense of the rest of society.

The Bangkok city government is already being pragmatic in recognising that hawking has always been part of the traditional Thai way of life, and that poor people who eke out their living by selling food and other goods on the street must be allowed to survive.

That's why the city government has allowed properly registered hawkers and small traders, who cannot afford high rents to set up stalls, to ply their wares in designated, clearly-defined areas on some stretches of the footpaths and roadsides. They are allowed to do this as long as their business activities do not cause too much trouble for pedestrians and motorists.

But most Bo Bae traders do not fit the definition of small traders that deserve assistance from the city government, because they make good money by setting up big stalls that cover entire stretches of sidewalk with no consideration for pedestrians' rights.

Other than benefits to be gained from promoting orderliness and upholding social justice, the tough campaign against illegal hawking also has the potential to reduce corruption among many city officials and police who have long been bribed by illegal stall-keepers to look the other way.

The orderliness campaign in the Bo Bae area must be implemented in a straightforward manner. The intention is to establish a well-regulated, safe and clean environment for shoppers and traders to do their business in commercial buildings located just a short distance from the current site.