Bangkok to Ban World-Renowned Street Food
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on April 18, 2017
In their crusade against chaos and for 'order', Thai officials want to 'clean up' the streets of Bangkok by banning all street vendors and food stalls by the end of the year.
TRANSCRIPT
The smell. The sizzle. The sights.
Food is plentiful in Thailand and there are few places in the world that are more food-obsessed than here.
If you come to Bangkok, chances are that you will run into a street food stall on the sidewalk, offering lots and lots of delicacies. There’s no doubt that these places add to the charm and flavour of this city.
After all, Thai street food is often named 'the best in the world'. But soon, these places may have to serve their last order.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is evicting streetside shops from several locations, citing health and hygiene concerns and - in their own words - 'to reclaim seized pavement space' from street vendors that are blocking the paths of pedestrians.
Authorities say internationally well-known areas such as Yaowarat, which is Bangkok's Chinatown, and Khao San Road are next on their list.
City Hall has also announced that it wants to enforce the ban across the whole of Bangkok by the end of the year.
Vendors, locals and visitors are now wondering what to do next if these stalls really do vanish.
"Of course this will have an impact," says a vendor that has been selling wontons, sausages and meatbealls for five years. "If we stop selling, I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how to sell ((if banned)). May be I’ll stop and work somewhere else - may be as a security guard, who knows?"
These stalls are an inexpensive and quick meal option and for many, they are the only affordable places to dine for no more than 1 or 2 US dollars a meal.
"If they don’t sell, the costs of living would surely rise by half. Because we would have to go eat at malls and food courts," explains a pedestrian, who often dines at street food stalls. "And reasonably priced food courts are becoming less and less and malls are getting more expensive. So for a just a little bit more [money], I might as well eat at a proper restaurant then."
Authorities are mulling plans for alternative locations for street food vendors, similar to hawkers centres in Singapore.
But many are wondering if the Thai government’s quest to clean up the streets of Bangkok could also sweep away parts of its soul and culture.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
UPDATE: Main Suspect Arrested in Japan Tour Scam
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on April 12, 2017
My Channel NewsAsia update to the massive Japan tour scam that left over reportedly almost 2,000 people stranded at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday night. The main suspect behind this scheme is now arrested.
Thousands of Scammed Passengers Left Stranded at Bangkok Airport
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on April 12, 2017
My short report for Channel NewsAsia on what appears to be a massive scam that has been pulled on over 1,000 passengers (reportedly now 2,000), in which a 'food supplement' company has offered a tour package to Japan for as low as 2,700 Baht (about $80) - that turned out to be a pyramid scheme as no one from the company was there and the airlines were clueless.
Thai Govt Betting Big on Eastern Economic Corridor
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on April 10, 2017
My latest report for Channel NewsAsia focuses on the Thai government's big bet on the Eastern Economic Corridor that looks to transform the provinces of Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong into a high-tech, high-earning and hyper-connected industrial zone.
TRANSCRIPT
It’s all quiet on Thailand’s Eastern seaboard, somewhere between Pattaya and Rayong. But this area could soon see some major changes and many Thais are pinning their hopes on it becoming an economic powerhouse.
Thailand’s economy grew by only 3% last year. That is not good enough in the eyes of the military government and that’s why they’re spending billions of Baht on big infrastructure projects. One of these projects is the Eastern Economic Corridor.
The Eastern Economic Corridor - or EEC - includes huge upgrades of existing facilities such as the deep sea ports in Laem Chabang (1) and Map Ta Phut, an expansion of the U-Tapao Airport to offset rising passenger numbers at both airports in Bangkok. All of that will be linked up by new roads and railways to create infrastructure for a number of new industrial zones.
“During the past 3-4 years, Thai investors actually expanded production OUTSIDE of Thailand: CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam), this region. The main productions are labor-intensive industries, outdated industries in particular," says Amonthep Chawla, Senior Vice President & Head of Research Office at CIMB Thai Bank.
"But locally, we tend to have this kind of potential to relax our labor shortages, to come with the high-tech industries, with the higher-value added industries. Going forward, this EEC is the main hope for Thailand and the Thai investors are going to come back to invest in this region.”
The government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is betting heavily on this project, as public investment in infrastructure projects is seen as a key driver of economic growth.
The EEC aims to attract big investors and Thai officials are targeting a joint public and private investment 43 billion dollars in the first 5 years. International corporations such as Toyota, Bridgestone and Google have already shown an interest in the EEC.
But it’s not just enough to build roads, tracks and factories and hope that business will flourish all by itself.
"What we have lacking along the way - and that is also proven everywhere in Thailand - is that we’re lacking in inter-connectivity. We didn’t build the infrastructure that supports the train station. If we want this project to succeed, then we probably have to have some kind of land development project along with the train development as well," says Sumet Ongkittikul, Research Director for Transportation and Logistics Policy at the Thailand Development Research Institute.
Nevertheless, the Thai government is optimistic that all these infrastructure projects will pay off in the long run and also stimulate the economy of entire region.
“We would like to emphasize that is not just for Thailand - actually. Of course, it is for Thailand, but it is - we have designed it so the EEC could serve the neighboring countries as well, in particular the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) and also ASEAN as a whole,” says Uttama Savanayana, Thailand's Minister of Industry.
But the EEC has just been launched and it will still be some time before these quiet parts in East Thailand are transformed into a busy industrial zone.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Sattahip, Chonburi Province
Southern Attacks Shortly After New Constitution Becomes Law
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on April 7, 2017
My new report at Channel NewsAsia is dealing with a lot of different developments: just hours after King Rama X has signed Thailand's 20th constitution into law, dozens of incidents were reported across the deep south. However, there is no clear link between these two stories - nevertheless, here's my update and analysis of both.
Harley Davidson Revving Up Asia Expansion
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on April 7, 2017
My Channel NewsAsia story from earlier this week is something for the petrolheads: I talked to Harley-Davidson Asia about their expansion plans in Asia and Thailand.
TRANSCRIPT
A grand entrance for one of the most iconic brands in the world, synonymous with roaring engines, big bikes and all that’s 'Made in the USA'.
For over a hundred years, Harley Davidson has captivated the hearts and minds of motorcycle fans around the world. One region in particular has seen an increased interest and that's here in Asia, where the company is revving up into this new emerging market.
Facing slower demand at home, the motorcycle maker from the state of Wisconsin is focusing on foreign markets, which made up 38 percent of total sales last year.
Harley-Davidson has increased the number of dealerships in Southeast Asia as it sets its sights on the growing Asian middle class with increasing disposable income.
"In line with our international growth strategy to grow our international brand presence, we’re continuing that here in Asia and in Thailand for example we recently opened our sixth authentic Harley-Davidson dealership," says Peter Mackenzie, Harley-Davidson's Managing Director for Asia & Emerging Markets. "Part of that strategy is to be more accessible to more customers. So our increased dealer footprint presence enables us to interact with more customers at a regional level."
But a different market also necessitates a different approach. While Harley-Davidson is famous for its iconic, big choppers - called 'hogs' by their fans - they don't fit on some of the heavily congested roads in this region, roads that are mostly dominated by smaller commuter bikes.
"In order to be more accessible and more relevant, we’ve - you know - whether riding a small commuter bike or merging into a larger-scale bike, that relevance is there to acceptance of motorcycling. Models such as our Street 750 and our Street Rod, tend to be a more nimble and more urban bike for perhaps that heavily congested city environment," Mr. Mackenzie.
Despite high import taxes in countries such as India and Indonesia, Harley-Davidson is determined to head out on the highways of Asia.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok