Where are you from?
I am from Chaing Rai, from an Akha village. I have been here for a month or two. I came here with the others from the village.

Why did you come here?
I don’t have a job at home, so it’s better to become a vendor in Bangkok to earn a living.

Is your business going well?
Friends who had been here before told me it was very easy to make a living here, so I decided to come down. But business is not as good as before. There must be a problem that we don’t know about.

Do you really make your products yourself?
Some things I buy, like the silver bracelets; but apart from that they are all handmade. I embroider these bags and headdresses. A bag like this takes me two days to finish.

Are there any problems working on this road?
We have to hide when the municipal police come. If we don’t run, we get arrested.

What are your working hours?
I come here at 5pm and I leave here at around midnight. Then I go back home to embroider the products till 4am. Even if I feel sleepy, I have to do it. I don’t have holidays or weekends off.

Do you earn a lot?
Not at all. I earn very little and I send most of my money back home. I don’t even have any savings.

Who are your customers?
Mostly farangs. I don’t even speak English, but I’ve managed to learn some words that are useful for bargaining.

If you could have anything, what would it be?
I wish I could sell my products here freely, without municipal officers chasing me. Apart from that, life here is better than at home.