BANGKOK: When Thailand’s military took over the country in a bloodless coup in May 2014, it promised to return peace and order to the divided streets.
Part of that effort was the swift cleanup of those very streets in Bangkok, first of protesters and then the city’s famous food sellers and market vendors.Arguably the world’s street food capital found one of its drawcards chased away into the shadows. More than 6,000 vendors were affected by the clampdown, many of them forced to close their operations, change their business or relocate.
The city governor though - Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang - was handpicked by the junta, and had a long prior track record of enforcing evictions through the sidewalk-patrolling police force he controlled. “This spot was cleaned up by the government already but there’s no place to sell so I came back to sell at this spot, but I lie low,” he said.
It is part of a more populist platform the party has embraced, including a national minimum wage, improved crop prices and starting salaries for graduates.Bangkok’s iconic Khaosan Road was another area heavily targeted for cleansing and rejuvenation under the junta. The representative of its vendors is Yada Pornpetchrumpa, who has been actively resisting changes in the area.
There is a softer facade to Palang Pracharat, compared with its military forerunners. It can be seen from the manner in which prime ministerial candidate Prayut Chan-ocha appears and speaks in public, to the types of candidates they have selected to stand for office. Palang Pracharat has promised to organise sellers so they can sell safely and appropriately, if it is elected to power.
He believes that has left a more simple choice to be made in the minds of voters - an ideological one. “To keep Prayut in power or kick Prayut out, that’s the basic decision now,” he said.Prayut is PPRP’s sole prime ministerial candidate, and he has walked a fine line throughout this election campaign, not officially involved but present at many of his party’s electioneering events.
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