Chatuchak Weekend Market

History

Chatuchak Market has been open since 1942. In 1948, Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram had a policy that every province was required to have its own market. Bangkok chose Sanam Luang as the market site. After a few months, the government moved the market to Sanam Chai. The market moved back to Sanam Luang in 1958.

Starting in 1975, General Kriangsak Chamanan had the policy of using Sanam Luang as a place of recreational activity for the populace which would also be used for commemorating ceremony. As General Kriangsak Chamanan was the chairman of State Railway of Thailand at that time, he thus permitted the use of land on the south side of Chatuchak Park as a market. His plan was to recycle waste from the looming Din Daeng Garbage Mountain which had stacked up across the decades to use as landfills, and he recruited military engineers for the job. The park was fully completed in 1978, when General Kriangsak Chomanan became the Prime Minister.

By 1983, all of the merchants had moved to Chatuchak. At that time the market was called Phahonyothin Market. In 1987, its name was changed to Chatuchak Market.

The clock tower is a distinctive landmark in the Chatuchuk Market. It was built in 1987 on the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th birthday on 5 December 1987, a cooperative effort of the market administration and Thai-Chinese Merchant Association.

On Tuesday 11 June 2024, at about 4am, a fire broke out in the ornamental fish zone in Srisomrat Market, also affectionately known as Sunday Market, adjacent to the bigger Chatuchak market, burning out 118 sales stalls, killing some 1,000 animals including snakes, spiders and Siamese fighting fish.

Economics

Monthly stall rent for vendors at the market ranges from 10,600 to 17,700 baht. A University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) study found that most merchants have been selling at the weekend market for four to six years and have an average sales revenue of 139,500 baht per month.

Trade in illegal wildlife

Studies have shown that the Chatuchak Market is a centre for illegal trade in endangered wildlife.

In a survey conducted on 28–29 March 2015, researchers counted 1,271 birds of 117 species for sale in 45 shops or stalls. Of the total, nine species were listed as "Threatened" on the IUCN Red List and eight species as "Near Threatened".

Market sections

• Clothing and accessories (sections 2–6, 10–26)
• Handicrafts (sections 8–11)
• Ceramics (sections 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 25)
• Furniture and home decor (sections 1,3,4,7,8)
• Food and beverage (sections 2, 3, 4, 23, 24, 26, 27)
• Plants and gardening (sections 3, 4)
• Art and galleries (section 7)
• Pets and accessories (sections 8, 9, 11, 13)
• Books (sections 1, 27)
• Antiques and collectibles (sections 1, 26)
• Miscellaneous and used clothing (sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 25, 26)

Transport

The market is served by the Kamphaeng Phet Road and is served by the Kamphaeng Phet (western end) and Chatuchak Park stations (eastern end) on the MRT Blue Line. The eastern end of the market is also served by Mo Chit BTS station on the Sukhumvit Line.

Gallery

Image:Bangkok - Jatujak Market 01.JPG|One of its many small aisles, Chatuchak Market Image:Chatuchak_Weekend_Market_Soi.jpg|A narrow aisle, Chatuchak Market Image:Chatuchak weekend market.jpg|Fish for sale, Chatuchak Market Image:Fake football shirts.jpg|Fake football shirts, Chatuchak Market Image:Thai Silk.jpg|Thai silk, Chatuchak Market Image:Chatuchak clocktower.jpg|Clock tower, Chatuchak Market Image:Chatuchak weekend market roofs.jpg|Central clock tower, Chatuchak Market Image:Taxis and minibusues (8271081864).jpg|Taxi and minibus queue, Chatuchak Market

References

References

1. Agar, Charles. (19 July 2006). "Frommer's Thailand". John Wiley & Sons.
2. (2019-01-29). "Chatuchak shops plied with e-commerce, loans". Bangkok Post.
3. "Welcome, Chatuchak Weekend Market".
4. (14 March 2017). "Guide To Chatuchak Market: Experience For Shopping".
5. "Where is the World's Largest Weekend Market?".
6. "Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand-Map-Layout.".
7. "Chatuchak Weekend Market Bangkok".
8. "เกี่ยวกับเรา – กองอำนวยการตลาดนัดกรุงเทพมหานคร (ตลาดนัดเมืองมีน)".
9. (23 December 2016). "Food and music shops to look out for at Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market". The Straits Times.
10. "ประวัติตลาดนัดจตุจักร ตลาดนัดสวนจตุจักร (Jatujak Market) | jj app แอฟพลิเคชั่นบนมือถือ สำหรับนักท่องเที่ยว ตลาดนัดสวนจตุจักร".
11. Davies, Ryan. (2018-02-05). "Chatuchak's Clock Tower".
12. [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-12/animals-killed-as-fire-rips-through-bangkok-pet-market/103967154 More than 1,000 animals killed as fire rips through famous Bangkok market], [[ABC News Online]]/wires, 2024-06-12
13. (June 11, 2024). "Fire at Thailand's famous Chatuchak Weekend Market kills hundreds of caged animals". Associated Press News.
14. (2008-04-25). "Bangkok market a hub for illegal international trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises".
15. (2016). "Snapshot of an on-going trade: an inventory of birds for sale in Chatuchak weekend market, Bangkok, Thailand". BirdingASIA.
16. (28 July 2016). "Persistent illegal bird trade highlighted at notorious Bangkok Market".