Jump to content

Journalist in Samui Threatened with Violence Over Luxury Villa Report


Recommended Posts

Posted

COVER-PIC-69.webp
 

A Channel 7 journalist in Koh Samui filed a complaint after being threatened by the owner of a luxury villa project. The incident occurred following the journalist’s report on potential irregularities in the construction permits for the villas.

 

Authorities from the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Division 4 are currently investigating the Samui Green Cottages project, which is located on Chaweng Noi Mountain in Surat Thani province.

 

The project involves the construction of 53 luxury villas, but concerns have arisen that the development might be encroaching on forest land or other restricted areas.

 

Further complications have surfaced, as the villa owner only submitted a construction model showing 40 villas, leaving the other 13 unreported.

 

Additionally, discrepancies between the submitted plans and the completed structures, including violations of legal slope and height regulations, have been identified. Six of the 53 villas have been completed, but the project is on hold pending further investigation.

 

The target market for these luxury villas is foreigners residing in Thailand, with each villa priced around 10 million baht.

 

On 17th July, the journalist documented ISOC officials visiting the villa site. During the visit, a Thai man claiming to be the project owner confronted the journalist. Expressing anger over the report, the owner directed his employees to photograph the journalist and issued a threat, saying, “You cause me a lot of problems.

 

Are you from Channel 7? I will sue you. I already prepared evidence of what you said about me in the headlines. Stop causing trouble for the locals on Koh Samui. You will see what I can do when I meet you again.”

 

The incident was partially recorded, including a moment where a female employee attempted to gather the journalist’s name. ISOC authorities intervened, asserting the journalist’s right to report. The villa owner argued he would pursue legal action rather than physical harm.

 

The journalist subsequently filed a complaint at Bor Phud Police Station, where officers assured they would summon the villa owner for questioning.

 

Photo via Facebook/ Ch7HD News

 

news-logo-btm.jpg

-- 2024-07-19

 

- Cigna offers a range of plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

  • Confused 2
  • Sad 4
  • Love It 1
Posted
6 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Luxury villas for 10 million? thats peanuts these days, 

Green Cottages is a joke too...

  • Confused 1
Posted

No nationality of the owner mentioned.... must mean it's a local then! Honestly though is there any space left to construct in Chaweng Noi

  • Sad 2
  • Agree 1
Posted
7 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Luxury villas for 10 million? thats peanuts these days, 

Depends on one's definition of luxury.
Luxury can be real, or it can be that of wannabes.
They must be quite small units if they're truly real luxury at that price.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted
2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Khao San Road easily available, 

Do they still seriously sell those there? I remember when they sold those on the street on Khao San! And if I remember correctly, it was only a few hundred baht! lol

Posted
5 hours ago, fondue zoo said:

Why does that look like landslip just waiting to happen.

I was thinking the same myself. One very heavy down poor .

  • Agree 1
Posted
25 minutes ago, ryandb said:

No nationality of the owner mentioned.... must mean it's a local then! 

Specifically reported in the OP...

"During the visit, a Thai man claiming to be the project owner confronted the journalist".

 

This being Thailand there's probably a 99% chance, statistically, that the developer is Thai, anyway.

  • Thumbs Up 2
Posted
50 minutes ago, Zack61 said:

This needs to be sorted. A friend of mine bought 2 condos/villas at a resort development on Koh Samet some years ago. ( Resort name Pandora I think)

It was later determined, among other things, that half of the resort was built on National Park land and has left the investors out on a limb. There are now lots of lawyers making sh!tloads of money from the fight against the developers to get compensation. I see the same thing happening in this case. 

This happened many times before on Phuket, can remember many houses and villas having to be demolished.
Nothing wrong with that if it does not comply with the permit.
It's only a problem if you farang doesn't know about it and signed the purchase contract.

Posted
6 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

Maybe peanuts for you, but not for many, if not most, retired expats in Thailand.

In Choeng Thale, where I live in Phuket, luxury is considered 100 million up.   Many villas are now renting for up to 1 million per month (12 million per year). 

  • Confused 1
  • Sad 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...