Food for thought for
Thai hawkers By Frances Suselo
BANGKOK - Hawking fresh fruit on busy
Sukhumvit Road, Nu-Han, 29, makes a tidy 500 baht
(US$12) in daily profit - which is more than a
smart, front-desk receptionist at a luxury hotel
earns in this bustling megacity of 6.5 million
people.
"There are many buyers in Bangkok,
so vendors can make a lot of money if they are not
lazy," he replied when asked why Bangkok had so
many street food vendors. "Besides, it is part of
the culture of Thai people to eat outside."
Nu-Han's customers range from
budget-conscious office-goers looking for a quick
bite of wholesome fruit to schoolchildren and
the
occasional tourist who might marvel at the variety
and abundance of food items displayed on the
pavements - even if sometimes in somewhat unsavory
settings.
Food hawkers are so much a part
of Bangkok's streets that it is difficult to
believe they are not a part of the formal economy
and do not enjoy the benefits other workers are
entitled to under the law.
There has
always been a fragile detente between street food
vendors - who number some 380,000 - and the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
"We have always wanted to eradicate them
[the vendors], but this problem has been neglected
for such a long time that many people in Bangkok
feel that they are already a part of city life and
impossible to abolish," BMA deputy governor Vallop
Suwandee said in an interview with Inter Press
Service.
So why are the hawkers still
around? Vallop suggested the BMA "lacks the
manpower and attentiveness to really enforce our
policy". Vendors usually came from poor economic
backgrounds and hailed from the provinces, he
noted.
There is talk of officials
accepting protection money from vendors,
especially for strategic locations - and it is all
too evident that a cosy relationship exists.
Vallop admitted there was corruption in
the BMA, but was reluctant to talk in terms of any
formal arrangement between the government and the
hawkers. Vendors officially do not have to pay
anything, "not even cleaning fees - if they do pay
fees, those are illegal fees, usually for mafia
protection".
He added, without
elaborating, "There are many kinds of mafia
involved." He stressed that the BMA didn't want to
collect formal fees from vendors "because this
leads to corruption of our officers".
But
corruption exists, nevertheless. Nu-Han said he
paid a monthly "fee" of 300 baht to stay in
business to the tessakit, black-uniformed
police who are a part of the BMA and charged with
enforcing city regulations.
The BMA
benefited by collecting fines from hawkers, if not
taxes, said Narumol Nirathron, a sociology
professor at Bangkok's Thammasat University and a
consultant on the subject of street vending and
the informal economy to the International Labor
Organization (ILO) in Bangkok.
There were
211,308 street food vendors arrested in Bangkok in
2004, a jump from 177,432 arrests in 2003,
according to her research. "Fines, in turn, have
also increased to 66 million baht," she said.
"From this, the BMA got 33 million baht as
revenues."
Vendors - part of the informal
economy that contributes in a major way to the
national economy - are not officially recognized
by the government. They are not covered by Thai
labor laws and do not have insurance or
work-related benefits, though they can avail
themselves of the country's health care scheme,
which is available to all citizens. Vallop said
this clearly did not care for the vendors.
"These vendors do not pay any kind of
taxes and just take advantage of society," he
said. "The majority of them are not Bangkokians
and they come here only for an easy way out. It is
actually not the BMA's responsibility to take care
of these people."
He does, however, find
the idea of hawkers paying taxes justified. "They
are dirty and cause trouble to the city, so they
must pay for it."
Hawkers remain in
business because they meet a popular demand.
According to Narumol's research, 96% of Bangkok
residents feel the hawkers provide a service and
that street food is a necessity.
But
Vallop disputes that. "I don't think they are a
very essential part of living in Bangkok.
Restaurants actually have better settings and the
prices are not so different. Students can eat in
school cafeterias."
Still, hawkers clearly
are giving the fast food outlets a run for their
money. "Therefore, one can see that street food
vending is very lucrative," Vallop said. "Yes, you
can reason that these vendors contribute to the
economy, but we should also look at the cost,
socially. The cost is sacrificing order and street
convenience. The BMA has to pay a lot of money for
street cleaners."
Vallop insists tourists
are aghast at the sight of Thais eating food
flavored with pollution and dirt from the streets.
"Tourists who visit Bangkok want to see temples,
not taste street food. We can't promote tourism
with them around, because we need to show the
world that Bangkok is a clean city, even though
street food is a part of Thai life."
The
BMA aims to decrease the number of street food
hawkers annually. Vallop hopes there will be no
vendors in 10 years, though he acknowledged that
it would be difficult to get rid of them.
"Nevertheless, it's important to have a target in
mind and keep a watchful eye."
While the
BMA is trying to mimic squeaky-clean Singapore's
firmness in dealing with vendors, neighboring
Cambodia is looking to Thai street enterprise as a
model worth emulating.
"Thailand can be a
role model for Cambodian street food vendors in
food safety standards," said Kyoko Kusakabe, a
professor from the Thai-based Asian Institute of
Technology who has spent four years researching
street food vendors in Phnom Penh.
However, he added, "In Cambodia, the
markets and street foods are not as vibrant as in
Thailand. The prices are also not that cheap."
Kusakabe contributed to an ILO project on the
informal economy.
Narumol believes street
food vending does provide many earning
opportunities, especially for the poor, "even
though the vendors aren't really the poorest of
the poor. Instead of trying to limit their numbers
or do away with them, the BMA should focus on food
hygiene. These vendors should be accommodated and
provided with running water."
Ultimately,
it will be Bangkok residents who will decide the
food vendors' fate, Vallop said. "The public can
be a watchdog for the next administration so that
order can return to the pavements and pedestrians
can enjoy their rights."
