
AYUTTHAYA - Owners of 163 vending stalls encroaching on the ancient temple of Wihan Luang Phor Phramongkhon Bobhit have been given until the end of this month to dismantle them and move out.
Authorities will close the entrance to the vending area and cut off electricity and supplies on Wednesday.
Ayutthaya governor Sujin Chaichumsak said on Tuesday that agencies responsible for tackling the chronic problem of stalls crowding the site met recently and agreed to take drastic action against the vendors.
All operators have been told they have from March 15 until March 31 to remove their stalls, or face arrest. Tomorrow, the entrance to the vending site will be closed and electricity and water shut off, he said.
For the last 10 years all efforts to remove the stalls encroaching on the area behind the historical temple near Ayutthaya Historical Park had failed due to protests by vendors.
Local residents and tourists had backed moves by authorities to regulate the venue and improve the scenery around the historical park. If the encroachment problem was left untackled, Ayutthaya might be removed from Unesco’s World Heritage list, Mr Sujin said.
During the past year, authorities had taken a soft approach in dealing with the trespassing vendors. A new trading site behind the old provincial hall had been set aside for them. However, they still refused to move out.
The governor said drastic measures such as closing off the entrance would not affect the ancient temple, which had been closed for restoration for almost a year.