Mayor Pian Blasts Phuket Land Probes As 'hypocritical'

[webfact]

Mayor Pian blasts Phuket land probes as 'hypocritical'

Phuket Gazette

Don't investigate some illegal land plots in Phuket while ignoring others, said Mayor Pian. Photo: Chutharat Plerin

Mayor Pian congratulates new Patong Council President Thanin Attasab, as Acting Phuket Governor Sommai Prijasilpa (right) looks on. Photo: Chutharat Plerin

PHUKET: -- Following the inaugural meeting of the newly elected Patong Town Council yesterday, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin blasted the effectiveness of the current spate of ongoing and ever-increasing Phuket land investigations.

“I want to see real law enforcement on this issue. Land in Phuket needs to be preserved and its development planned with a long-term view,” Mayor Pian, who was born in Patong, told the Phuket Gazette.

“Sometimes it seems like the law is fighting itself. For example, some people have documents issued by the proper authorities to prove they own land on hills that are way above the legal limit to own or build on.

“But then law enforcement later comes along and orders these properties to be pulled down,” said Mayor Pian.

“The government must be consistent in this issue. They must reclaim all government land, not just pick bits and pieces that they want to target,” he said.

Mayor Pian also criticized the government for appearing to back off in its efforts to redress illegally owned land.

“The Government shouldn’t be hypocritical when resolving these problems. It appears they don’t like anyone who works conscientiously and is prepared to stand up to illegal land ownership,” he said.

“Take Damrong Phidet for example, the former Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Conservation. He was working on land encroachment but has since retired. We don’t know if the new chief will continue the investigation,” he added.

Mayor Pian’s comments also follow the sudden transfer of Dusadee Arayawuth from his position as the Secretary-General of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission to a post as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, effectively removing him from his investigations into corrupt officials.

“I want to send a clear message to those who have the authority in these matters. Be fair to everyone, take the task seriously and be unrelenting in the pursuit of wrong-doing,” Mayor Pian said.

“Public land must belong to the public, not to one person or group interest. From the hills to the sea, if we can preserve national land in Phuket, then that beauty will survive for the coming generations,” he said.

During the meeting of the Patong Town Council, councilors elected Thanin Attasab as Council President. They also laid out their plan to publicly announce their policies to be carried out in the coming four-year term.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ical-18067.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-10-03

[BabyJebus]

hi sir, you are the governement. wake up!

[KarstenBoAndersen]

He is scared that all the land up the hills in Patong will be checked !

As most of it is ilegal owned and there is loads of ilegal build houses there (Land with a slope of 35 degree or more is STATE LAND) so many plots up there is state owned !

What about his own hotel project up there ???

If he was born in Patong (he lived in Kathu for several years, had to move to Patong to get elected there i remember) he would also know, that no one owned the hills up there 40 years ago !!!!

He is the biggest crook on the whole island !

[Katipo]

At first what he says sounds good.... and then you remember that the government won't implement any of the 'sensible' ideas he is putting forward. He is therefore off the hook and free of responsibility and (although I hate to use this phrase), it will be business as usual.

[BabyJebus]

are the houses and hotel behind chevrolet even legal?

[steelepulse]

He is scared that all the land up the hills in Patong will be checked !

As most of it is ilegal owned and there is loads of ilegal build houses there (Land with a slope of 35 degree or more is STATE LAND) so many plots up there is state owned !

What about his own hotel project up there ???

If he was born in Patong (he lived in Kathu for several years, had to move to Patong to get elected there i remember) he would also know, that no one owned the hills up there 40 years ago !!!!

He is the biggest crook on the whole island !

I tend to agree, that he is the one being a hypocrite. Who was it that built a big shrine up a steep hill for a "temple"? Who controls the tuk tuks and the resulting payoffs to the bibs? Etc. etc.

[sportsman69]

I'm afraid any comments by me on this topic would result in a ban. Especially with what should happen to that beautiful Pink Posy.

( thorns outermost !)

[timewilltell]

Typical Two Faced elected officials - the game is to slag each other off to deflect your own illegal deeds. They are all at it and people are stupid enough to think those criticizing the others are in fact good people when it is just the Thai way of covering up your own defecation.

[Skorz]

To persecute every offender would mean to betray their very own brethren, the ones who sold, issued titles and partnered (normally nominees for foreign controlled companies are provided by the same law firm who constructs the sales purchase agreement) with the foreigners.

Heaven forbid the foreigner who was sold a dodgy title may decide to counter sue the lawyer who did the due diligence the land officer who stamped the title and the cheaky little local boy who sold worthless agricultural land/stolen national park.

Indeed, reverting to instant 100% foreign blame as usually happens in these disputes is no longer globally acceptable.

All it will take is the monkey nut Thai prosecuter/land officer who issues the demolition order to <deleted> with the wrong foreigner and the whole thing will be splashed over websites and newspapers all over the world. A well standing and sympathetic international lawyer with an interest in Thai real estate could cause havok.

When i bought my land in Thailand I made a point of keeping a very thorough paper trail, including countless convert recorded conversations (smartphone) with my lawyer, the lands department officer who dealt with the case, and the land seller (all locked down on youtube should anything kick off). All kick backs I had to pay were documented with supporting evidence where possible, all show I was given no choice but to pay (most lawyers are too stupid to keep things verbal and like to send emails asking for things like 'progress money'). I suggest all future buyers do the same, if anything it can be used as leverage for preventing future disputes.

[Chads]

He is scared that all the land up the hills in Patong will be checked !

As most of it is ilegal owned and there is loads of ilegal build houses there (Land with a slope of 35 degree or more is STATE LAND) so many plots up there is state owned !

What about his own hotel project up there ???

If he was born in Patong (he lived in Kathu for several years, had to move to Patong to get elected there i remember) he would also know, that no one owned the hills up there 40 years ago !!!!

He is the biggest crook on the whole island !

I tend to agree, that he is the one being a hypocrite. Who was it that built a big shrine up a steep hill for a "temple"? Who controls the tuk tuks and the resulting payoffs to the bibs? Etc. etc.

Oh that temple! I've not been there yet but I thought it looked interesting. Who built it?

[jeroentak]

This guy was under investigation himself from manipulating land titles and stealing land

two years ago. He was never prosecuted,. They have case against him which is more than 1000 pages, but nothing happened

You can find it on the internet.

He owns Pisona Tuk Tuk, which is continously asking ridiculous prices from tourists and many times this ends in 5 or 6 tuk tuk

drivers beating a ferang close to death. He owns Hollywood disco which always close two or three hours after legal closing times.

Hollywood is known to be very unsafe a several ferangs have been kicked to death.

Do I need to say more. Patong would be a great place without him and his family. Sadly he has been elected to mayor again after

paying everybody who vote for him 1000 bath.

[sydneyjed]

This guy is an absolute bloody joke!!!Think of a cowboy town and immediately Phuket springs to mind...Here's what they do to you if you do try to do your jobhere ...I rest my case your honour...

[Chads]

This guy is an absolute bloody joke!!!Think of a cowboy town and immediately Phuket springs to mind...Here's what they do to you if you do try to do your jobhere ...I rest my case your honour...

http://www.thaivisa....resorts-raided/

That's a really sad case

"DNP Director-General Damrong Phidet said the chief of Phuket's Sirinath National Park would be 'better suited to work in Bangkok'."

“I took up my position here on August 8. I have been working in Phuket for less than a month, so I have yet to really learn about the area,” he said. I do my best; it doesn’t matter where I work, as long as I am protecting the nation’s land,” he said.

I guess that's the lifelong reality of a man who has even an ounce of pride and dignity.

[Narratio]

Hmm, as I understand it, we have a newly elected official decrying corrupt land deals. That same official has been implicated in many of those same corrupt land deals and is known to subvert or ignore rules of closing times, maximum fares and I assume underage drinking/smoking and moral activities in his business premises?

So, situation normal then.Because for a minute I was worried that we might actually have a clean or just naive politician in the system. And that would certainly indicate that the end of the world was due.

[blackthorn2005]

Strange the biggest offender, who is also in charge, raises these comments. Distraction from his other activities?

[belg]

in this age of technology, geomapping etc... one would think it would be possbible to quickly and thorowly be able to check who owns what and what is illegal ?