The disturbance took place after the vendors were prevented from trading on the pavements. The BMA has promised to find a new place for the vendors within a couple of weeks.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwandee told a press conference that Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin was very sorry for what had

happened and did not want the 23 vendors arrested to be punished.

However, the governor wanted to emphasise that vendors taking over public sidewalks and using them as market places was not "proper". This was why a joint panel comprising members of Pom Prab (Sattru Phai) and Dusit districts and the police had agreed to remove stalls from streets around the Bo Bae market.

The BMA has been trying to resolve this problem for a long time and the vendors were aware of the fact, said Wallop.

During the recent blaze at Bo Bae Market, fire fighters were obstructed by vendors' stands around the market's entrance. The BMA decided that enough was enough and it was time to take decisive action to resolve the problem, he said.

In order to ease the financial burden faced by those vendors who now had nowhere to sell their goods, the BMA announced on Saturday that it would begin registering all those affected before finding them a new market place, said Wallop.

So far, 97 vendors out of about 1,000 have come forward and registered. Meanwhile, the BMA is speeding up its effort to find them an alternative site, he

said.

One option being considered is to turn part of the Chatuchak weekend market into a cloth market similar to Bo Bae.

A source said Apirak was very upset with Wallop's order to remove the vendors from the streets around Bo Bae market. Wallop had apparently not reported the measure, or sought its approval, and this was why the situation had got out of control and resulted in the clash.

Apirak is now considering transferring the project to another deputy, Buddhipongse Punakanta, according to the source.