Street vendors on Rama I Road at Siam Square defied efforts by Chulalongkorn University staff (CU) yesterday to try to stop them setting up their stalls.
The university has land-title deeds for the footpath, which has long served the public and been overseen by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
This stretch of footpath is a prime location for businesses as a huge number of people walked past the spot each day. Not just a bus stop but also a key Skytrain station are right there.
CU tried to ban the roadside stalls along the footpath for nicer landscape by putting flow?erpots there, but hundreds of street vendors loudly protest?ed, blocked some traffic lanes on the Rama I Road, and later removed the flowerpots.
They then ran their stalls as usual as of press time yesterday.
Before this, up to 150 police?men rushed to the spot because the street vendors spilled on to the road causing serious traffic congestion.
Pathumwan Police Station deputy superintendent Lt Col Peerapong Chai-arun negotiat?ed with the protesters in a bid to limit their activity to the foot?path.
"I've been selling in this area for more than five years. I set up my shop at 9pm. I don't cause any problems. Why would they still do this to me?" an angry protester said.
Wongduan Jaroenporn said she was running a stall on the footpath and paid service fee to officials from BMA Pathumwan District Office without any problem for at least five years already.
"Why does the CU have to force us to move deeper into Siam Square? If we go there, we are running our stall at a loss," she said, "Definitely, we won't move. We will stay here. We don't do anything illegal. We don't sell drugs," she said.
The CU has provided some area on Siam Square Soi 6 for the relocation of these roadside stalls. Vendors are required to pay Bt200 a day for each stall set up between 8pm and mid?night.
Most street vendors are still young in their 20s and 30s. They have mostly sold clothes and accessories.
Pongtep Phochan, a leader of the group, said the group would keep on protesting if Chula still wanted them to move.
This is their first huge gath?ering after several attempts to submit their complaints to BMA, Democrat Party, and var?ious other organisations.
Pathuwam District Office director Pavinee Amarttad believed her agency should have the jurisdiction over the foot?path because it was already given to public benefits.
"We are waiting to hear from a committee that will decide which agency should have the right to manage the footpath area," she said. Chutima Atthaworarat, who heads the CU Pathumwan District Office, said the new area provided for street vendors in fact had good potential to become popular.
"If they move to the same area together, I believe shoppers will definitely drop in," she said.
Chutima urged the vendors to check the area first and would want to hear their decision from today onward.
"If they register themselves with us, they can start running stalls in the new area right away," she added.
