I believe from a good Thai source in the Tessa Baan that the jackets have been introduced as a first step in reducing the amount of touting that goes on, with a view to eliminating it. (Nepalis are next) Once they have a list of registered touts, they know actually how many there are to get rid of and also the numbers on each touts uniform make them accountable for complaints against them.
As always, things often move at a glacial pace when it comes to local government here and this is at least a step in the right direction. I am sure however that they expect no praise or encouragement from the expat community, which is a shame as they are not all self interested, short sighted nor stupid.