Use Of Force 'Necessary' In Phuket Beach Eviction: Police

[webfact]

Use of force 'necessary' in Phuket beach eviction: Police

Police say the 'use of force' in removing the vendors from Phuket's

Karon Beach was justified.

The workers took just one hour to tear down the restaurants.

PHUKET: -- Local police have defended their use of force in removing vendors from a Phuket beach on Sunday, saying that the officers present did only what was needed to arrest the ringleader.

Tensions flared when police and municipal officers staged a dawn raid to tear down three restaurants deemed to be encroaching on government land at Karon Beach.

The three restaurants, located directly in front of the Centara Grand Beach Resort, were run by brothers Nawin, Daeng and Lek, who say they have been operating restaurants on the beach for the past 26 years.

“The tents and kitchen of my restaurant were the first to go,” said Mr Lek, the youngest of the brothers.

“Nobody spoke to us. The first thing that happened was that [Phuket Provincial Police] Commander Pekad Tantipong ordered officers to remove our stuff. They took only about one hour to pull it down,” he added.

Mr Lek explained that local residents and family members formed a circle around the three brothers to stop police from removing them.

“The officers surrounded us, then they pulled the others out of the way so they could get to us,” said brother Daeng.

“They used force. I was punched in the neck,” said Mr Lek.

Click here to view view footage of the clash recorded by people standing by.

However, Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Narong Laksanawimon told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that any force used in removing the brothers was necessary.

The trouble started when other beach restaurant operators tried to stop officials from pulling down the restaurants, and then blocked officers from removing the brothers from the beach, he said.

“If we had let them stay, they might have obstructed officials from doing their duty in removing the restaurants.

“We surrounded them to stop them from entering the removal area and in the end we needed to physically remove them because we needed to take them to the police station,” Lt Col Narong said.

Mr Nawin was charged with encroaching on public land and obstructing officials from doing their duty, the policeman said.

Mr Nawin posted bail immediately.

For a full report, see the next issue of the Phuket Gazette, due out Friday afternoon.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=11004

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-09-20

[JetsetBkk]

Excellent news. Surin beach next, please.

:jap:

[Wallaby]

Are any of these the people that beat that poor girl to a pulp a few months ago?

[stevenl]

They have been there for many, many years. Now with the new Centara Grand there the management/owners of that resort did not like it that their guests went to dine outside for far less than half of what they were charging for better quality food. So Centara got their way. Would be nice if they were to use their power for more pressing issues like the taxi's/tuktuks.

[saintofsilence]

Good to see the police finally stand up to people breaking the law but more than likely dome policewere involved also.

[ScubaBuddha]

Interesting to see the different styles of policing around the world. Thai police are gentle and very tolerant of resistance, compared to the west. In America, that guy would have been on the ground the second he tried to pull away from a cop. The woman in the video would also have been arrested for obstruction of justice and assault on a peace officer. Tuk-tuk drivers even held back a cop while other drivers beat tourists and went unpunished.

[Jimi007]

Are any of these the people that beat that poor girl to a pulp a few months ago?

Wrong beach Walaby... A different mob! And I have to at least partially agree with Stevenl, and fully on his second point! But, I really don't like all the vendors of any kind taking over public lands. Beaches, public parking and whatever else can be, is being encroached on...

[Benjie]

They have been there for many, many years. Now with the new Centara Grand there the management/owners of that resort did not like it that their guests went to dine outside for far less than half of what they were charging for better quality food. So Centara got their way. Would be nice if they were to use their power for more pressing issues like the taxi's/tuktuks.

So one minute these guys are all Beach Mafia and the next they should be protected. I'm pretty sure they didn't get knocked down because of the cheap delicious food they offered.

[honoluabay]

That's so true SB. but then let the Law suits fly. I'm sure a new Restaurant will be back there soon.

Interesting to see the different styles of policing around the world. Thai police are gentle and very tolerant of resistance, compared to the west. In America, that guy would have been on the ground the second he tried to pull away from a cop. The woman in the video would also have been arrested for obstruction of justice and assault on a peace officer. Tuk-tuk drivers even held back a cop while other drivers beat tourists and went unpunished.

[thaiIand]

dont worry the fee for all of this is a maximum of 500baht and a drinking session with the officers

[bdenner]

Maybe these poor pricks just can't afford the corruption. If the scumbag "Law Enforcement" were fare dinkum they should be using the same force on Effin Jet Ski Operators, Effin Mafia Taxi's, Effin Etc.