Khao Sarn vendors defy enforcement of hawking ban

13 Sept 09:56 Key points summarised by AI

Khao Sarn vendors openly defied City Hall's ban on sidewalk hawking, re-erecting their stalls immediately after a major cleanup operation.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) aims to restore order, proposing new regulations that limit vending to the road surface from 6 pm to midnight, rather than pavements.
Vendors protested the ban, submitting a petition to the government and arguing the move would destroy Khao Sarn's established image as a world-famous walking street.
Deputy Governor Sakonthee Patthiyakul stated that pavement vending is illegal and outlined a plan to allot equal trading space on the road surface via a lottery system to prevent monopolies.
The BMA plans to coordinate with the Metropolitan Police Bureau to adjust traffic regulations on Khao Sarn Road to accommodate the new vending arrangement.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.