THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Let's cut out the middlemen

Let's cut out the middlemen

I support PM Yingluck in her desire for the State Railway of Thailand to lease Chatuchak market stalls directly to vendors - just as is the common practice at any other large shopping mall.

 

I see no benefit to using middlemen in this instance.
All sub-leases must, by law, have expired along with the lease to Chatuchak as a whole, and the actual vendors should have priority over all others.
Also key to the arrangement is that rents must be at market rate, to maximise long-term profit from the market and enable the SRT to stop chronically running in the red. The SRT, as a state enterprise, should be managed for the benefit of the nation as a whole, not just a smaller group. This logic holds regardless of whether the group in question is the tourists who visit the market or, even worse, the vendors themselves. Ideally, the profits from managing the market would be used to improve third-class carriages, benefiting the many millions of low-income Thais.
Lastly, as a protestor’s sign read, “What can SRT manage?” To me, the short answer is, “nothing”. Thus, Chatuchak should be turned over to a professional real estate management team.
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
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