Thai police shut down 21 villas on Koh Samui, foreigners evicted

[Tropicalevo]

29 minutes ago, zepplin said:

There is another billion plus bht development above my villa there that has been shut down recently, building permits were for 34 bungalows, but what was built was totally different and way to tall, and the land was way to steep, strange how only after 5 years of construction, they suddenly find out…. Now the envelopes aren’t big enough…. How to lose a billion bht - was a Chinese development, but what will they do with them now?? Very hard to demolish all !

All of this came about from the helicopter survey on the 23rd May.

A couple of follow up links from that survey.

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2024/05/28/surat-thani-takes-resolving-koh-samui-land-issues-seriously/

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2024/06/26/samui-task-force-cracks-down-on-52-foreign-villas-with-hidden-rentals/

 

As someone else said - more to come.

[black tabby12345]

This case can send a strong warning to the new potential buyers.

They could well end up in the middle of the minefield.

Their dream homes could be their nightmare instead.

[Tropicalevo]

3 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Pretty sure if men with guns turned up at my door I'd cooperate too !

 

I did!

Someone who owes me money told the military that I was operating an illegal business.

Two generals, 6 squaddies and two girls from the Tessabaan turned up to check.

They were here for three hours going over all of my paperwork and asking questions.

Probably fishing for a bribe.

They eventually left as there was nothing illegal to find.

 

This was after they had found a few developments on Samui operating as illegal hotels. Taking bookings etc etc.

We do not take bookings (apart from my own properties - long term only) . The owners do the short term ones.

[4MyEgo]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

These villas had brazenly encroached on the mountainside in the Bo Phut subdistrict, a popular tourist hub.

 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“These properties had no right to be here.”

 

Now that we have taken possession, we will wait for 12 months and then extend the boundaries to take in the 46 villas, then subdivide them and sell them with money going into the system, our tea money system....LOL 

[edwinchester]

14 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Makes you wonder how these kind of projects get built without anyone noticing anything.

Like the city officials or park officials or the local poo yai baan.

Some one must have seen the clearing the land, building the roads, bringing in power poles and water lines, building forty-plus homes.

And then openly advertising them. It doesn't say how long ago they were built but you can bet they didn't just finish yesterday.

Yet apparently no one noticed.

 

[chuang]

Full moon corruption corruption corruption 😲 

[crazykopite]

Obviously a lack of brown envelopes was an issue ! What about the planning department who ignored these builds surely planning officers made regular visits to the site to ensure everything was in order during the building process sadly it’s those who have rented villas in good faith who lose out 

[crazykopite]

Luxury villa for 20,000 baht a month that alone should have rung alarm bells as you only get a tin shed on the islands for that amount 

[Gottfrid]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

One of them, a Frenchman running a local cleaning business, had signed a one-year lease and was paying 20,000 baht a month for his slice of paradise.

Must have been a profitable business. Wonder how he could work with that? Also hope all his papers are in order. 🙂 

[OneManShow]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The 46 villas, including the 21 already closed,

Lost deposits 🤔

[Cabradelmar]

But...but...but... They told me I could own a villa without any issues 😂 what's great for Thailand is after they confiscate the property they can turn it around and sell it again to other gullible foreigners.

[JettieG]

4 hours ago, waders123 said:

Just a thought:  Demolishing the villas without proper slope rehabilitation could indeed increase the risk of landslides, posing a danger to those living below.

Landslides with the villas in tow and ring road area flooding started every rainy season in the early 2000s with all the hillside razing and villa developments. Also lost the huge flock of White Herons that used to nest in the hills west of Big Buddha - they flew early morns to Ang Thong and back just before sunset every day. 
I'll never forget the day my Bangrak neighbour was out in the standing water on the ring road with a fish net, trying to catch any koi that were flooded out from his garden pond or helping to rescue another's household goods. Can't imagine rainy season in low-lying areas now! 

[Lopburikid]

16 hours ago, johng said:

Ohh dear  I hope the Municipal, military, and ombudsman officials

found some alternative accommodation for the tenants not just turfed them out on the street  otherwise it might have a negative effect on Thailand's image 😋

Did they not know they were being built in the first place??

[thaichiro]

Wonder if the developers will ever see the inside of a courthouse for criminal charges….or the officials who took the payoffs that allowed them to be built.

[Taco]

Are the police going to start renting them out now? 

[Geir Rasch]

16 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Makes you wonder how these kind of projects get built without anyone noticing anything.

Like the city officials or park officials or the local poo yai baan.

Some one must have seen the clearing the land, building the roads, bringing in power poles and water lines, building forty-plus homes.

And then openly advertising them. It doesn't say how long ago they were built but you can bet they didn't just finish yesterday.

Yet apparently no one noticed.

I guess it is all about missing envelopes. Happens all over Thailand.

[Jiggo]

Seem to remember years ago, a few premiership referees buying property's on Koh Sumui, getting  scammed.

[Sydebolle]

Never a dull moment - really. What happened to those tenants who possibly paid a one-year rent in advance and have used only part of it? Their chances for a refund - nil - I would assume. 

A professional alternative would have been to get the tenants to pay their dues to the "Legal Execution Department" as so done in Bangkok. 20+ years ago I had rented a big office space in one of Bangkok's office towers. The landlord had some court cases, which he must have lost as the above-mentioned department as the latter wrote a letter instructing tenants (like my company) to pay the rent to them rather than to the landlord. 
I - in turn - wrote back saying that there is a valid rental agreement stipulating who does what to whom. The Legal Execution Department was asked to provide official details and rulings whereby my company would be indemnified from the rental-contractual obligation of paying rent to the contractual party - the landlord. That paper never came and I kept paying to the landlord but moved at the first possible moment. 

The Samui story is yet ...... another Samui story. Honestly, how can a building get public water, electricity etc. without a blue house register. Latter is issued against presentation of a building permit and latter stipulates the limitations of the structure. At least that is the case in other upcountry provinces. So someone must have greased quite a few on the way; most likely nobody knows nothing anymore today. The losers are the tenants = see my first paragraph 😞   Excellent headlines for a country which so desperately needs non-Thai money in form of tourism and long-staying non-immigrants 8-) 

[AustinRacing]

Failed to submit proper paperwork. The ones containing an image and 1000 written all over. 

[wwest5829]

19 hours ago, steven100 said:

hang the developer,   hang the administrator who took bribes to let it go,   and hang anyone else connected who may be responsible for turning a blind eye.

 

rotten to the core this place .... 

I fear you have been reading too much of the posts concerning the upcoming U.S. elections. The tone, outlook would fit right in with the ridiculous anger venting … jai yen, yen  (not meant as a criticism, just an observation out of concern …).

[PETERTHEEATER]

8 hours ago, cnx101 said:

French man’s lucky he didn’t buy it

The Board of Directors of his cleaning company might not have had enough on the balance sheet to pay a deposit......😋

 

 

[Montnoveau]

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Must have been a profitable business. Wonder how he could work with that? Also hope all his papers are in order. 🙂 

That's probably why he left in hurry 🙂

[kwilco]

THis is not new it started at least 20 years ago. THere are some very high-ranking national officials involved.

I believe the basic law in Thailand is that any land that has an incline of over 19% is automatically property of the crown - so any building on land like that either has special permission (e.g. Temples) or is illegal.

I seem to remember a scandal involving a Danish biker gang and local government officials

 

Edited September 19 by kwilco

[phetphet]

6 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

It is the one by the Jungle Club see screen print.

 

As you say - development up on the hill behind Bangrak.

The illegal road to the illegal country club that was stopped, now has street lights. (Up by Black Rabbit.)

There is something going on there as therewas a big sign across the gates. Have not read it yet.

Because it said they were in Bophut, I thought it couldn't be the ones by jungle Club.

 

I didn't know about any  illegal country club, do you mean the new road that branches off the original road that goes to Black Rabbit? 

 

When they closed the road off to the public around three months ago, the sign on the gates said something about being closed off because people with guns. I used Google translate.

[Reddavy]

21 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Makes you wonder how these kind of projects get built without anyone noticing anything.

Like the city officials or park officials or the local poo yai baan.

Some one must have seen the clearing the land, building the roads, bringing in power poles and water lines, building forty-plus homes.

And then openly advertising them. It doesn't say how long ago they were built but you can bet they didn't just finish yesterday.

Yet apparently no one noticed.

They noticed all right just didn’t keep up with the brown envelopes 🤷🏼

[smew]

Soon it will be like this: villas will be confiscated, and ownership changed to more desirable people.. with permit to build approved and granted shortly after ... and poof  poof... 46 times more..  46 magicians will in a new york second create 46 villas ...ready to sell/rent...    

[Tropicalevo]

50 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Because it said they were in Bophut, I thought it couldn't be the ones by jungle Club.

 

I didn't know about any  illegal country club, do you mean the new road that branches off the original road that goes to Black Rabbit? 

 

When they closed the road off to the public around three months ago, the sign on the gates said something about being closed off because people with guns. I used Google translate.

The development is right on the border of Tambon Bophut. I had to check that one as well.

 

That original road was supposed to go to a country club that was to be built. Not sure exactly where. After a bit of legal argy bargy it was found that the land was forestry commission land and so the club was cancelled but the road was great for the locals for exercise.

The gate was always locked back then, but folk would park cars on front of the gate and bikes could negotiate a ditch and park inside. They then cleared some land and made the car park. The rest is history.

I was surprised when the Black Rabbit was built. Before that it was a wooden shack balanced on the edge of the drop, where you could buy refreshments etc after the steep hike up.

 

I like the thought that folk were taking guns up there. Isn't the Black Rabbit run by Russians???

Edited September 19 by Tropicalevo

[off road pat]

20 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Makes you wonder how these kind of projects get built without anyone noticing anything.

Like the city officials or park officials or the local poo yai baan.

Some one must have seen the clearing the land, building the roads, bringing in power poles and water lines, building forty-plus homes.

And then openly advertising them. It doesn't say how long ago they were built but you can bet they didn't just finish yesterday.

Yet apparently no one noticed.

I have seen illegal projects like that all over Thailand. Everybody around can see them, but they all know someone highly placed is involved.

And they all know it doesn't help and can be very dangerous to complain to the government officials.

For instance, there are villas on the beach at Dolphin Bay, south of Hua Hin. Everybody knows that you can not build on the beach.

But everybody knows the people involved are far too high placed to bother about the law. ...T.I.T.

[steevjee]

Here we go again  Thai media bashing farang,

it's blatant racism. 21 villas, 3 occupied by farang.

But what's the Headline?

Foreigners Evicted

 

From the very top down, Xenophobia is encouraged here and it will bite them hard eventually

[Umlungu]

21 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Oh, they were noticed and if the Phuket experience with the illegal bars and restaurants on the beach is an indication, it went something like this;

- Locals  notice and inquire and are told,  all is approved, look we have permits.

- Local officials who helped issue permits say they were just doing what they were told to do and tell locals to be quiet.

- Senior officials acting on complaints say stop it, but developer goes to court and wins delay after delay.  Smiling Judge says there must be due process and developer must be heard.

- On and on it goes with land deeds offered up. How could such deeds be  offered they are asked, I don't know, as it was before my time is the reply.

- Meanwhile, developers and promoters are selling and renting the properties.

- Buyers and renters are aware of the issues, but say this is Thailand and it is ok, they can do whatever they want  because they can pay the officials to make it all go away.

And now, surprise, surprise, the deck of cards collapses.

- 

So what happens next? Bulldoze the lot and reinstate the hill environment to its oiginal state? doubt it. Who would pay for that?