Street Food Venders in Bancok - Is the Government Really Trying to Clean the Streets?

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

When the tie army seized power in 20 14, it promised to bring order to the streets. The local government began evicting hawkers regardless of whether they were licensed or not. It now claims to have closed nearly three quarters of informal markets and thrown out about 12 thousand vendors. Venders dispute these points, and say what the government is trying to do is scrub the streets of poverty.

Last summer President Kais Saied nobbled the legislature; now he has abolished the judiciary. We ask where the country is headed, and why there is so little protest. Brazil’s modern-art scene, born a century ago this week, flourished despite rocky politics—but the current president has a chokehold on it. And the Thai army’s quixotic mission to evict Bangkok’s legendary street-food hawkers. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer