Squatters In Bangrak

[bbcsamui]

They must of known what they were doing was wrong, i presume they got planning permission for there new house and know the laws , if they wanted beach land so much they shouldn't have sold it, and are most probably quite jealous of you as beachland prices have gone through the roof in the last few years.

I hope the whole lot get's taken down they don't deserve this land, and if they get to keep the shacks it will only make more people think they can do the same.

What you have had to do and progress to date just shows the people in power don't care much of the interest of the island just the interest of the locals it's a shame.

Good luck & keep us updated

They obviously don't think they are doing anything wrong and are confident they are not going to have to move as today in the sunshine they are plastering up the wall they they have just constructed outside the 50cm from our boundary - but still encroaching on the kings land and still stealing road side etc.

and just throwing all of the rubbish on the beach...

I had to go away for a couple of hours as I was so angry with their arrogance and was potentially going to do something silly.

I post regular updates and more photos on my website if you want to have a look at more...

Progress on Bangrak squatters

The Tessaban need to come soon please....

[sbk]

Have you tried emailing some of the concerned authorities with your photos directly? If the local govt won't take action, perhaps they just need a little nudge in the right direction by the proper authorities.

land development: cit_1@ ldd.go.th

Pollution control dept complaints hotlline: www.pcd.go.th/Info_serv/Hotline/default.cfm Tel. 66 2298 2000

Fax. 66 2298 2002 or e-petition@ pcd.go.th

email : info@crownproperty. com Tel : 02-687-3379-82

[ClaudeFeller]

BBCSamui,

You know J&P Supermart/Postoffice in Bangrak?

The owners of this building are living behind, Pee Poum and Pee Ran, they dont run the shop anymore.

Ms. Pee Poum is member of the Samui Meermaid group, they clean the beach regulary.

She is a local from Bangrak, her english is very good and she maybe can help you out.

Say "Hello from Claude" when you go to see her.

[beamer]

BBC Im so sorry to hear of this situation !

I think i met u a couple of years ago when having dinner at your place !

I would happily let you stay at my villa with your kids till things are sorted out ! But I bought at Coco palm villlas ( A rite mess should have been completed 2 years ago I wont go into details here)

Samui since this was going to be my little paradise to get away from Hong Kong for long weekends !

I hope you can get things sorted out !

Living in Hong Kong may not be paradise but it sure has a good legal system and developers finish thier projects on time

Hang in there you have a lovely place on the beach !!!

[Tony121]

Is there a an office that is meant to look after crown land in bkk ?

might be worth looking into

[bbcsamui]

Is there a an office that is meant to look after crown land in bkk ?

might be worth looking into

Because of all of the positive response from Thai Visa people we now have a long list of numbers and emails for various Government departments - thanks for that (if you have some more keep sending them through though as we might be here a while).

I am getting a summary letter done in Thai that clearly states the problems, illegalities etc and shows some photos. Once it is complete, it will be on the website and emailed and faxed around Thailand ... plus possibly put on a large sign next to the illegal dwelling (the sign will be on our land of course).

11 November update...

Well woke up at 7am today hoping to have a bit of a sleep in ... but not to be

Beautiful day outside but the smell was very bad and when we looked out the window we could see them dumping their sewerage onto the beach. I asked why they were doing it that way and they said because every time they try to connect it to their tanks on the beach, I take photos ... so I took a photo of that...

Well they were right ... later in the day they were trying to pipe the waste away and so I took a photo. Papa was overseeing it again and called me a crazy man ("ee-baa") ... and he is probably right as it is driving me nuts.

They also started getting ready to do some more plastering inside the dwelling.

This is not the action of someone intending to go soon.

More info here...

Progress 11 Nov 2007

I might not have any updates for a day or so as my wife and some of the locals in the restaurant are telling me I should just relax and get away from it for a while and let the process take its course. At the moment, I am standing and looking and watching and thinking about it all of the time... so tomorrow when the kids are at school, we will go to the other side of the Island. (I can now see how obsessions can get to people)

[Mark Wolfe]

TO BBCSAMUI:

You say that you would not want the sons to lose their jobs over this...why not? If they are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem. Within the law, the gloves must come off.

There are a number of things that baffle me (even though I have lived in Asia for 22 years) about this situation.

I have a few questions, but I will hold them for now.

For me, the most unreal thing is the abject lack of concern for esthetics.

I realize that most Southeast Asian people have a different concept of pollution than Westerners. Throwing rubbish around, not cleaning up after construction and so on is the norm here, to varying degrees, but humans generally don't foul their own nests.

If you smell the effluent, they must too. If the beach is an eyesore to you it must be to them as well.

Sorry to say, but these people are uncivilized.

Moreover, what would compel someone to continue creating a visual disaster area (aside from the waste issue) when they know full well that they are creating disharmony? What kind of culture is this?

You imply that these people are not mentally ill or criminally insane, so what sort of folk are we dealing with here?

I hope you have full success evicting them from the land and that they have to pay for the restoration of the property even (and hopefully) if it means they have to bankrupt themselves to do it.

As a journalist, I would also recommend you work up a press package for distribution to every outlet you can think of, particularly those who would be embarrassed by the portrail of the "Land of smiles," or who would feel that this situation brought to the attention of the public could damage the reputation of the island as a beautiful tourist site. Your pressure alone isn't as weighty as that of the Tourism Bureau and the like, for example.

PM me if you need guidance on how to do this.

M

[ClaudeFeller]

Well they were right ... later in the day they were trying to pipe the waste away and so I took a photo. Papa was overseeing it again and called me a crazy man ("ee-baa") ... and he is probably right as it is driving me nuts.

Dont you let any Thai call you "ee-baa" - it is time for this hillbilly to show you some respect. Unfortunatley those kind of people understand only one kind of arguments: Pure violence.

[highdiver]

Well they were right ... later in the day they were trying to pipe the waste away and so I took a photo. Papa was overseeing it again and called me a crazy man ("ee-baa") ... and he is probably right as it is driving me nuts.

Dont you let any Thai call you "ee-baa" - it is time for this hillbilly to show you some respect. Unfortunatley those kind of people understand only one kind of arguments: Pure violence.

on the contrary Claud. resorting to violence is not an option!!!

Thailand is a class system and poorer people dont f..k around with rich people.

if you discuss this isuue with them or confront them then you are stating that you accept that they are in your social status.

This isuue has to be taken care of by Lawyers acting on behalf of the rich man.

As SBK pointed out there are various Agencies with online contats who will take action if they are notified.

another member has sugested getting the press to do an article.

you can create many problems for them with out them knowing that you are behind it.

if approcahed you should say like the rich people do...I dont know and i dont understand.. my lawyer takes care of those matters.

[bbcsamui]

TO BBCSAMUI:

You say that you would not want the sons to lose their jobs over this...why not? If they are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem. Within the law, the gloves must come off.

There are a number of things that baffle me (even though I have lived in Asia for 22 years) about this situation.

I have a few questions, but I will hold them for now.

For me, the most unreal thing is the abject lack of concern for esthetics.

I realize that most Southeast Asian people have a different concept of pollution than Westerners. Throwing rubbish around, not cleaning up after construction and so on is the norm here, to varying degrees, but humans generally don't foul their own nests.

If you smell the effluent, they must too. If the beach is an eyesore to you it must be to them as well.

Sorry to say, but these people are uncivilized.

Moreover, what would compel someone to continue creating a visual disaster area (aside from the waste issue) when they know full well that they are creating disharmony? What kind of culture is this?

You imply that these people are not mentally ill or criminally insane, so what sort of folk are we dealing with here?

I hope you have full success evicting them from the land and that they have to pay for the restoration of the property even (and hopefully) if it means they have to bankrupt themselves to do it.

As a journalist, I would also recommend you work up a press package for distribution to every outlet you can think of, particularly those who would be embarrassed by the portrail of the "Land of smiles," or who would feel that this situation brought to the attention of the public could damage the reputation of the island as a beautiful tourist site. Your pressure alone isn't as weighty as that of the Tourism Bureau and the like, for example.

PM me if you need guidance on how to do this.

M

Mark Wolfe

I too have had the very same questions and thoughts etc, but one thing that keeps sticking in my mind is "don't lower myself to their level". Even though it has been going on for so long and is making me extremely angry, I have tried to believe that logic and law will prevail and if I can resist getting too dirty then it will have better long term ramifications for all.

I just want them to go and live on their own land, to continue to earn money to have a good life and hopefully look back and think that they were fortunate to live on such a nice beach with some good neighbours and manage to save some money to finish school and build their house. I don’t want the boys to lose their jobs and potentially ruin their careers at an early stage as it could push them over the edge. I want to live in Samui and not have to have a body guard following me around.

It has been an emotional roller coaster ride for 6 years and the last 24 hours are no exception … yesterday I was ready to call the GM of four seasons as we were getting threatening gestures, but then today we had the Poo Yai Ban and the Tessaban come around and take our side… and then we had some more threatening gestures.

I think that a compromise brokered by the local Poo Yai ban and the Tessaban has been reached today – but will not truly believe it until I see it carried out. The compromise is:

• The squatters have to demolish all of the living quarters on the roadside and on the beach;
  

• They must remove all of the concrete structures, poles, steel work, sewerage tanks etc;
  

• They can keep the small sala bar which is located on the roadside (and hence Tessaban land as opposed to Crown land). I am not sure about toilet facilities, but it was clear that they were not allowed to put anything on the beach itself;
  

• We will build (at our own cost) new steps down to the beach, some garden / landscaping and seating that anyone can use;
  

To me this is a very good compromise because I honestly feel that if it is done well, then a Thai style sala drink and ice cream bar right beside the gates to Big Buddha will be a good little money earner. If it is clean and inviting then there will be many people wanting to stop for a drink and look at the view. My estimates are that it could earn as much as THB10,000 a day if done properly - not a bad living for the family.

This deal sounds great but it was negotiated without the squatters being present so I am sure they will not be happy with it.

More information can be found here:12 November progress report

We are feeling slightly more positive today, but we also know that sometimes that is when we are most vulnerable and we might be hit by something else tomorrow (so no celebrations just a dinner offsite away from the squatters to try and relax a bit). Its just like a soap opera that keeps going on every day ...

[ThaidleHands]

I'm not proposing this as a serious solution, but the mental image of those shacks being razed by a long loop of cable pulled by a tugboat is just too compelling...

Good luck to the OP on a speedy and satisfactory solution.

[Tony121]

Good to hear some progress is being made, sounds like your stress level must be pretty high, at least they have demolished some of there property and sounds like there will be more to come the best thing now is to stay out of there sight let them think you are happy with what they have done & let your lawyers and tessaban do the rest just think of the cost for them,

[Rooo]

I have this funny feeling, that they had this intentions all along. Sell you their beach land then get free land next door.

[highdiver]

good luck and well done for holding on.

the solution is approved by the Tae Saban and the Poo yai Ban is very good as if they dont do as instructed the poo yai ban will loose face.

[ClaudeFeller]

This compromise seems to be the right step for you - wish you good luck for the future.

But I want to see the law that is permitting those crap people to use public land for business matters...

And I have the feeling that Tessaban doesnt want to enforce the law because just a farang is concerned.

Last not least you will have to clean up the whole rubbish and demolished construction.

I think the war is not over yet! You might better give some tea money for the local police...

[Mark Wolfe]

I am still curious as to the root cause of this.

What could compel a family to be so utterly contemptuous of others? Is it racism? They clearly seem to think that they are better than the foreigners living next door, can do anything they want regardless of what the "aliens" think or feel and can dump crap on the beach with total disregard to anyone (seemingly even their own -- I assume that they think the beach is not a place that Thai people would want to be near and is only a opening to the "big toilet" of the ocean).

If they actually had title to the land I could see a bit of their point of view, but the fact that they are wholly illegal, well, what can you make of this?

Personally, I would not compromise on anything. I would not want them to make any money out of any structure there on land that is not theirs. It would be a matter of principle to teach these bumpkins the rule of law.

And I am sorry, but the children are not to be spared. Have they made any effort, even intimated, that they thought that what was going on was not only illegal, but morally wrong?

Listen, you lie down with dogs -- you get up with fleas....

M

[GetBackJoJo]

"the Poo yai Ban is very good as if they dont do as instructed the poo yai ban will loose face."

Thats a good point. I have been reading the latest developments thinking.... 'Poo Yai Bann, Tesaban, whatever! Talk is cheap.'. Now the face issue comes into play and thinking about it, the Poo Yai Ban will not tolorate loosing face and the squaters would surley not encourage such loss of face by ignoring his demands, would they?

Face. Cripes how pathetic i have alwyas found it. I live in a village OBSESSED by face and find myself going out of my way to act a complete plonker at times, just to stick two fingers up to the whole face thing. However it does come in usefull once in a while and this may be one of those instances.

That said.... if these squaters are to save face themselves, they will not honour the Poo Yai Ban's demands immediatley - that would make them look way to subservant. They will honour his instruction, but only in a month or two, probably. You think?

Anyway. Good luck Mark. I used to come to your place a couple of times a week with either the Mrs, or Grahame ( Grahame the raving loony drunk). I always found you a decent chap, yet a misserable bloody swine and now i know why.... those hicks next door fueld your frown that i was always so puzzled by, considering you live on a beach and have a bloody huge boat.

I hope you win. That said, i also hope they get to keep there little bar. Its harmless enough. They dont deserve it but hey... why the heck not. Its only a small bar. They can stick the godforsaken house right up there backside though and i hope with a passion that your lovely restraunt will have the peace and quiet that it deserves, once there awfull shack has been demolished.

It realy does sound like a major stress you have been through with these ignorant animals.

Good luck.

[ClaudeFeller]

The "loosing face" story is not important if it is about money! If the squatters already shout at you they lost their face already, they will not care about this.

IMHO bbcsamui should visit the Poo Yai Baan regulary, otherwise everybody will forget everything.

[John 1]

Bbc Samui,

I did post a warning but looks like it's been deleted, so will try again and tone it down. The point is you appear to have won but from now watch you back you should understand life is short, enough said.

[koheesti]

I'm not proposing this as a serious solution, but the mental image of those shacks being razed by a long loop of cable pulled by a tugboat is just too compelling...

I had the same mental image. But I wasn't thinking tugboat. I was thinking ferry. Then I saw the ferry get torn in half because it wasn't as structurally sound as the shacks. But a tugboat would do.

[koheesti]

Next time there is a reason to have a big celebration/dinner/whatever, have one and invite a lot of people including influential locals. If nothing else, maybe your neighbors seeing you so buddy-buddy with the important people might change some things. Maybe being so nice (subtle bribery) will help the locals more faster in your favour.

Not the best solution but a lot more civilised than my others.

[bbcsamui]

"I always found you a decent chap, yet a misserable bloody swine and now i know why.... those hicks next door fueld your frown that i was always so puzzled by, considering you live on a beach and have a bloody huge boat.

Thanks for the comments. Not intending to insult you but you sound like my wife. She is always saying I am miserable - i.e. she needs more money, a BMW, a holiday abroad etc ... plus she is consistently telling me to not look so serious. I am afraid I cannot do it the Thai way and smile on the outside and be fuming on the inside ... plus I gave up drinking alcohol 2 1/2 years ago because I was drinking too much, so it is hard to be light-hearted with other drinkers when you are drinking Soda water.

Next time there is a reason to have a big celebration/dinner/whatever, have one and invite a lot of people including influential locals

We have had many influential meetings at the restaurant including a large meeting to discuss the Samui floods where the Suratthani Governor was present, the Mayor of Samui, all of the Samui Poo Yai Bans plus other officials and 50 police. We have had the Governor of the reserve bank on my boat (he signed the guest book with the same signature that signs the Thai Baht notes), we have had the senior police chief from Bangkok on the boat and in the restaurant etc etc. We are not political types but have rubbed shoulders when appropriate. I believe it helps, but at the end of the day, the key thing is that we are not from Samui and they are.

I try not to employ Samui people in the restaurant because I have found that they are the ones that end up causing most problems and a couple of them have gone to the Poo Yai Ban after leaving without notice stating that we owe them 3 months wages in back pay etc - totally unfounded accusations.

We fully understand that it is not yet over but feel that Poo Yai Ban Wit has already lost face because he listened to Dim who complained about a farang telling her to go away. He did not actually come to look until yesterday and was totally surprised by the extent of the development. He also lost face to some extent due to the fact it was the police and Nathon Tessaban who actioned it before him.

However he now has the opportunity to save face by ensuring the compromise is implemented.

If Dim demolishes the house and cleans up her rubbish and we build nice seating and steps and garden etc then the whole neighbourhood gets benefit because of Mr Poo Yai Wits negotiation skills. The fact she is allowed to keep a bar, with a nicer view, means he has saved face with Dim and she cannot complain because the only other alternative to her at the moment is still the police charge which will not be dropped until such time as she implements the compromise. Mr Wit did ask yesterday if we could get the charges dropped but we did not make any promises. Dim was told 2 months ago that we would go to the police and she said she was not scared so we see no reason to drop them quite yet ... maybe 2 months after the new set up is complete.

Mark Wolfe: I am still curious as to the root cause of this.

What could compel a family to be so utterly contemptuous of others? Is it racism? They clearly seem to think that they are better than the foreigners living next door, can do anything they want regardless of what the "aliens" think or feel and can dump crap on the beach with total disregard to anyone (seemingly even their own -- I assume that they think the beach is not a place that Thai people would want to be near and is only a opening to the "big toilet" of the ocean).

If they actually had title to the land I could see a bit of their point of view, but the fact that they are wholly illegal, well, what can you make of this?

Personally, I would not compromise on anything. I would not want them to make any money out of any structure there on land that is not theirs. It would be a matter of principle to teach these bumpkins the rule of law.

And I am sorry, but the children are not to be spared. Have they made any effort, even intimated, that they thought that what was going on was not only illegal, but morally wrong?

Listen, you lie down with dogs -- you get up with fleas....

We don't understand it either and most of the Thais that we talk to don't understand it either. I think it was just that they started going down the path ages ago and we let them do it (although I did frequently ask them when they were leaving ... and they said "soon"). They just got carried away with themselves and did not think to come and ask me whether it was OK to build a 3 bedroom house connected to my house and blocking my view. They must have just thought my yelling etc at the builder was some sort of foreign welcome chant ...anyway they kept going. Papa is old (I am not sure of his age but looks around 70). In the past it might have been OK to do such things in Samui. I really believe he is the one that does not like me / farangs. Dim actually wants to find a Farang husband so in some ways she sees the benefit of us farangs.

My internal / hardnosed attitude is the same as yours in that I do not want to compromise anything and cannot see why we have to give them anymore than what we have already done. It is really an implementation issue and a potential way to do it so that all parties retain some level of face. They already have a nice house to live in and Dim will be able to sit at her new bar and tell her friends and family that she won because she got to keep the bar and that silly farang had to pay to put the new seating and steps in place, Mr Wit will have won because he has brokered the deal, and while I am not so interested in face, we will have a much nicer view and cleaner beach and perhaps happier neighbours (over time).

If the bar fails then it will only be because of Dims incompetence because the location is very good ... and if it fails and looks like an eyesore etc then we will just have to get Mr Wit to do something more about it.

Logic says that they should just be told to go, but life is not always logical - especially here in Thailand.

By the way ... no activity at all today except the morning dumping of waste being supervised by Papa. The rest of the day has been quiet and nobody has been seen around the dwelling. Perhaps they are thinking through next steps.

I am sure it is not over yet.

[Mark Wolfe]

The fact she is allowed to keep a bar, with a nicer view, ...

I missed something. So she is to be allowed to construct a bar on government land, illegally?

"You can't rob the bank, but you can steal all the sofas and chairs you can find."

How does that work, exactly?

Seems to be that if you allow them to place anything on the adjacent land illegally, it keeps a foot in the door for some future shenanegans.

You have to stand by the law to the bitter end, it seems to me, or you have failed in holding to your principles.

I don't know what you do, but if you can afford a boat and a nice car, did you try to buy them off with wads of baht?

M

[Gatorade]

The fact she is allowed to keep a bar, with a nicer view, ...

I missed something. So she is to be allowed to construct a bar on government land, illegally?

"You can't rob the bank, but you can steal all the sofas and chairs you can find."

How does that work, exactly?

Seems to be that if you allow them to place anything on the adjacent land illegally, it keeps a foot in the door for some future shenanegans.

You have to stand by the law to the bitter end, it seems to me, or you have failed in holding to your principles.

I don't know what you do, but if you can afford a boat and a nice car, did you try to buy them off with wads of baht?

M

Where exactly are you coming from?

First you advocate standing by the principles of law, and then you seem to think that a big pay off would be OK if the BBC

was able/wiling to make such a donation!

That would make matters far worse and take away the moral high ground which the BBC holds.

[bbcsamui]

The fact she is allowed to keep a bar, with a nicer view, ...

I missed something. So she is to be allowed to construct a bar on government land, illegally?

"You can't rob the bank, but you can steal all the sofas and chairs you can find."

How does that work, exactly?

Seems to be that if you allow them to place anything on the adjacent land illegally, it keeps a foot in the door for some future shenanegans.

You have to stand by the law to the bitter end, it seems to me, or you have failed in holding to your principles.

I don't know what you do, but if you can afford a boat and a nice car, did you try to buy them off with wads of baht?

M

Where exactly are you coming from?

First you advocate standing by the principles of law, and then you seem to think that a big pay off would be OK if the BBC

was able/wiling to make such a donation!

That would make matters far worse and take away the moral high ground which the BBC holds.

The side of the road is controlled by the Tessaban / Poo Yai Ban and they can rent it out to whoever they like - such as Dim. It is not necessarily illegal. She has been told she can just have a sala bar (usually by definition they are "non-permanent" structures), she has been told to make sure the waste is dealt with properly, to take the structure away from around the power poles and the police will ensure she finally pays for a liquor license etc. It is actually moving toward a better legal situation.

All the way through the discussions, Dim has stated "we have no money" "we have no money" (eventhough she keeps building and demolishing and building etc)... of course she wants me to pay her something. I don't want to pay her anything. My view is she owes me rent and damages but know that I will never get it (she has stated she will give me some cement to help fix Annas wall which has still not been handed over).

I would rather pay to have the beach cleaned up with seating and steps etc. that way I get some benefit from the spending, she gets some benefit (although she probably would rather have cash to buy a new car or something) and so does the Poo Yai Ban and the community. Ok, I am spending money but does not feel the same as just paying her to leave.

While yesterday daytime was relatively quiet the evening ended up being very interesting. I got a visit from some well connected people offering assistance.

see 13 November update

It is always good to recieve offers of help, but this one still has me wondering where it is all going and whether I should start to relax or not. I certainly welcome your advice and opinions as I honestly don't know what to do... maybe I should even take it all off the web...

BBC

[Tony121]

Have you ever heard of the saying give them a inch and they will take a mile ?

Yes this family is from samui but the big family's are the one's to be really scared of this family looks like a bunch of pikey hillbilly's to me and most wealthy samui people most probably view them the same way.

do things that will only benefit yourselve and not them.

Believe me you put tables and chairs on the beach and a tourist sit's on them they will most probably say you have to buy a drink from our bar.

[ClaudeFeller]

Have you ever heard of the saying give them a inch and they will take a mile ?

Yes this family is from samui but the big family's are the one's to be really scared of this family looks like a bunch of pikey hillbilly's to me and most wealthy samui people most probably view them the same way.

do things that will only benefit yourselve and not them.

Believe me you put tables and chairs on the beach and a tourist sit's on them they will most probably say you have to buy a drink from our bar.

Agree 100 %.

[bbcsamui]

Have you ever heard of the saying give them a inch and they will take a mile ?

Yes this family is from samui but the big family's are the one's to be really scared of this family looks like a bunch of pikey hillbilly's to me and most wealthy samui people most probably view them the same way.

do things that will only benefit yourselve and not them.

Believe me you put tables and chairs on the beach and a tourist sit's on them they will most probably say you have to buy a drink from our bar.

Agree 100 %.

Just a quick note to report in. Nothing at all has happened. No demolition - but at least the c0nstruction has stopped. Papa was out on the balcony looking over at us the last few mornings but no strange gestures or obvious dumping of sewerage.

I believe we are just waiting for the Tessaban to prepare the written notice of what was agreed. Plus I understand it might be hitting the press in the next few days so we may or may not see some activity then.

We will ensure that any seating etc is located in such a way as to maximise our benefits as we also have a restaurant & bar that can provide food and refreshments and toilets. I truly do not think that a small sala bar will cause too much problem (lets hope I am not proven wrong).

I agree with your comments that most Samui wealthy people feel the same way as we do toward greedy people stealing and dirtying the crown foreshore. That is probably why we have had such good progress so far (in relative terms).

[Gatorade]

Have you ever heard of the saying give them a inch and they will take a mile ?

Yes this family is from samui but the big family's are the one's to be really scared of this family looks like a bunch of pikey hillbilly's to me and most wealthy samui people most probably view them the same way.

do things that will only benefit yourselve and not them.

Believe me you put tables and chairs on the beach and a tourist sit's on them they will most probably say you have to buy a drink from our bar.

Agree 100 %.

Just a quick note to report in. Nothing at all has happened. No demolition - but at least the c0nstruction has stopped. Papa was out on the balcony looking over at us the last few mornings but no strange gestures or obvious dumping of sewerage.

I believe we are just waiting for the Tessaban to prepare the written notice of what was agreed. Plus I understand it might be hitting the press in the next few days so we may or may not see some activity then.

We will ensure that any seating etc is located in such a way as to maximise our benefits as we also have a restaurant & bar that can provide food and refreshments and toilets. I truly do not think that a small sala bar will cause too much problem (lets hope I am not proven wrong).

I agree with your comments that most Samui wealthy people feel the same way as we do toward greedy people stealing and dirtying the crown foreshore. That is probably why we have had such good progress so far (in relative terms).

Excellent news. Hope it continues! Good to see the side of right winning for a change.

[Mark Wolfe]

You keep referring to the land as "crown land."

If this belongs, nominally anyway, to the king, don't you think making it public that they are stealing from the king would shame them into action?

You had said that you could put a sign up on your property.

By the way, I have zero confidence that this mediation will result in anything beneficial to you. It's "them" against you. Face or no face, you are the outsider here.

Edited November 15, 2007 by Mark Wolfe