Beach access on Surin Beach

[Shot]

I think I’ll head up there week after next. The whole family will be visiting from Nahkon Si Thammarat. I’ll wear my cut off Levi’s and a wife beater shirt with a mustard stain.

The in-laws should be fun too. Plenty of Pla Kem, Som Tam Pla-Ra and Durian for the picinic. Screw towels, they are too small. We’ll lay out the old bed sheets. They have a couple of pee stains on them, but we don’t mind.

My MIL didn’t want to go, but after I told her we would have a portable DVD player filled with her favorite Thai soaps, she agreed to come. Her hearing isn’t too good, so we’ll have to turn it up a bit.

Also bringing the portable Karaoke machine. My FIL is quite the singer after 8-9 large Chang. Should be a great afternoon, evening, night and morning if the booze holds out.

Thank you HRM for providing a clean safe beach for all.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Shot

[suave]

I think I’ll head up there week after next. The whole family will be visiting from Nahkon Si Thammarat. I’ll wear my cut off Levi’s and a wife beater shirt with a mustard stain.

The in-laws should be fun too. Plenty of Pla Kem, Som Tam Pla-Ra and Durian for the picinic. Screw towels, they are too small. We’ll lay out the old bed sheets. They have a couple of pee stains on them, but we don’t mind.

My MIL didn’t want to go, but after I told her we would have a portable DVD player filled with her favorite Thai soaps, she agreed to come. Her hearing isn’t too good, so we’ll have to turn it up a bit.

Also bringing the portable Karaoke machine. My FIL is quite the singer after 8-9 large Chang. Should be a great afternoon, evening, night and morning if the booze holds out.

Thank you HRM for providing a clean safe beach for all.

A man with vision!

[EBlair48]

Tell Oliver the central part is where the raw sewage seeps across the beach at low tide.

Interesting to hear this insider story on how the beach was "sectionated" to families

[suave]

Tell Oliver the central part is where the raw sewage seeps across the beach at low tide.

Interesting to hear this insider story on how the beach was "sectionated" to families

And ended up in big business hands with none of the money going into local pockets.

[zaZa9]

Tell Oliver the central part is where the raw sewage seeps across the beach at low tide.

Interesting to hear this insider story on how the beach was "sectionated" to families

And ended up in big business hands with none of the money going into local pockets.

This is not correct.

I have heard from a recipient of a section that a number of local families received licences to sections in the ballot that divided Surin Beach up many years ago.

It was mentioned that a non-local Thai woman and her German partner who had been previously trading on that beach also won one , but were told to walk by local mafia and they did.

The 'partners' referred to in the letter of response are local ballot winners receiving very large 'rents' for temporary use of their allotments.

[zaZa9]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

Edited July 17, 2013 by zaZa9

[stevenl]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

Won't do the individual beach user any good though.

[EBlair48]

Since when is the law enforced except to harass people for money ? The place has no authority that can be trusted, and no mechanism for change.

What mask would expats wear to signal disapproval? Guy Fawkes is so done to death these days...

[IrishIvan]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach?  I'm sure much the same.  If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel.  I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

[hansgruber]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach?  I'm sure much the same.  If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel.  I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

Meridian is an easy fix. Buy a drink and they can't do anything.

[LivinginKata]

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

At those 2 beach examples the 'way' to the beach is private land and the owners have every right to stop or charge people. As mentioned, the purchase of a cold drink is usually the easy solution.

[eezergood]

This is interesting. A Surin beach club for sale. Selling "approx 500sqm of beach front with sunbeds."

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/classifieds/article134281.html

This beach club is being pushed out! Classic tale of letting the farang pay, then screwing him! Its NOT CATCH

[eezergood]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

Access to the beach through the property can legally be restricted, enter the beach from the water & its a different story!

[eezergood]

To the OP send this email reply to Bill over at C9 - thepuketinsider.com

[suave]

To the OP send this email reply to Bill over at C9 - thepuketinsider.com

your link dont work.

[Shot]

To the OP send this email reply to Bill over at C9 - thepuketinsider.com

your link dont work.

Try this http://www.thephuketinsider.com/contact_us.php

[Peterocket]

This is interesting. A Surin beach club for sale. Selling "approx 500sqm of beach front with sunbeds."

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/classifieds/article134281.html

This beach club is being pushed out! Classic tale of letting the farang pay, then screwing him! Its NOT CATCH

The previous owner which I believe was another big hotel left and now it is available for sale. No screwing or pushing involved.

[eezergood]

This is interesting. A Surin beach club for sale. Selling "approx 500sqm of beach front with sunbeds."

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/classifieds/article134281.html

This beach club is being pushed out! Classic tale of letting the farang pay, then screwing him! Its NOT CATCH

The previous owner which I believe was another big hotel left and now it is available for sale. No screwing or pushing involved.

Perhaps this isnt the place I was thinking of........ do you know which one it is?

[suave]

To the OP send this email reply to Bill over at C9 - thepuketinsider.com

your link dont work.

Try this http://www.thephuketinsider.com/contact_us.php

Ok that one worked, he said it was not his area of action but he did supply a couple of other emails to try, I got this back from [email protected], my reply to his reply follows:

From: [email protected]

> Subject: Fwd: I was told you might be interested in this.

>

> Hi.

> Spoke with Olivier. He's a very reasonable man. Said he'd ask his staff

> to leave you alone.

> But please, try to resist the urge to rub their noses in it, would you?

> End of story.

> Alasdair

My reply:

Thanks, I had the feeling with his reply that he was doing the rubbing lol. I was only there because of the conditions. Tim.

[hansgruber]

Catch sponsors these rag classifieds in Phuket.

Alistair Forbes is their biggest patron. Of course it will fall on deaf ears.

[simon43]

Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

You don't need to walk through the resort to get to the beach - there is a small access path just on one side of the hotel.

I have walked through that hotel on several occasions - I have just ignored the security guys who try to stop me by telling them in Thai that the beach is owned by HM King and that it is illegal to block access to the beach.

Simon

[IrishIvan]

Catch sponsors these rag classifieds in Phuket.

Alistair Forbes is their biggest patron. Of course it will fall on deaf ears.

It looks likes Simons way will fall on deaf ears too

[monkeycountry]

I received this reply to an email from the group that owns the club on the beach, below their response I will put my response to them. If I hear back again I will post it too.

My name is Olivier Gibaud and I lead the management of the varying assets and operations of Twinpalms Group in Phuket, Thailand. First of all allow me to thank you for addressing your email to me and taking the time to relate your recent experiences on Surin Beach, across Catch Beach Club.

As you are rightly pointing out, beaches in Thailand are public, in fact, so are roads, temples, parks, ect and therefore no one own them, beaches in this case have been and continue to be Phuket's jewel and one of the main reason many tourists, Phuket Residents and Thai national come to visit the southern shores of Thailand.

Allow me to speak about Surin Beach mainly as it is the beach I know best. Many years ago, the entire length of the beach was divided into 20+ spaces, those spaces usually comprise of both a land and a sand part, one large central beach space, across the public car park is mostly left un-cared for and primarily used by locals and overseas visitors to freely enjoy the sandy beach and water of Surin Beach.

The other 20+ smaller spaces located north and south of the central section were allocated to local families, providing them with the duty of care and use of individual "building" on the land side and in most cases the duty & right of caring & servicing the sandy part which lays across the building. The caring & servicing include but is not limited to daily cleaning of the sand from the water edges to the pedestrian way, the removal of debris such trees in the water, plastic, jelly fishes, ect, in some cases the planting of trees to preserve sand and shade, the supply of sun-chairs and umbrellas often made available subject to a minimal fee, the preparation, service and sale of food and drink on the beach, often coming from the supporting building across the sandy part.

In the case of Catch Beach Club, it is the result of a join venture between a number of local space holders and Twinpalms Group, those, together endeavored to provide the finest possible beach side lifestyle, now after 7 years recognized by tourists and locals and internationally by many institutions such as CNN as amongst the best beach side venues in the world. In order to do so, Catch Beach Club has been serviced by almost 100 local employees whom in-turn care for over 1'000 family members as a result of their earnings. Catch Beach Club also supports multiple local businesses supplying fruits, vegetables, seafood, water and all the daily necessities related to such servicing. This particular venue and venture is VAT registered and declares all its revenue to the local government.

My understanding of your recent experiences is that the beach caretakers of Catch Beach Club took the liberty to relocate your belonging which were laying on the sand close to sun-chairs to the side of the beach club, in an area that was free, allowing for clear view and passage from the beach club to the water, upon your refusal to move to an less occupied area, possibly over barring attitudes and words were exchanged for which I would like to apologies.

If I may, allow me to recommend a number of options for you to consider in order to avoid reoccurrence of such events either at Catch Beach Club or in fact in most of the serviced parts of Surin Beach;

• make use of the central part of the beach, there, I trust you will be able and welcome to lay freely where you wish as no services are offered on this particular section of Surin Beach
• alternatively, you are naturally welcome to return to the small section of the beach that is serviced by Catch Beach Club however we would ask that you make use of the services offered such as sun chair, umbrella, towels and all related facilities, such as showers, toilets, restaurant, bar, music and décor, those come at a cost that you can use as credit for consumption
• you may also naturally visit and support any other service provider along Surin beach preferably following their individual requirement and enjoying their offerings.

I trust that you will continue to enjoy the beaches of Phuket, especially Surin which all service providers want to preserve as if not the best surely one of the best in the world. I hope to having been supportive and apologetic in providing you with an inside as to the "common practices" on Surin Beach for sure but in fact on most popular and heavily patronized beaches of Phuket, Thailand, Asia and in fact the world.

Best Regards

Olivier Gibaud

General Manager

My response:

Dear Sir: Thank you for your response. I believe you have been told that I was in the way of people coming an going, this is not true, I lay my towel down infront of large platforms that left the way clear just as it was before I got there. I was in no ones way, and I do have witnesses. I was at that end of the beach because of the fact that there were no swimmers along the center of the beach and it is safer in these waves and rips to be where other people are, which I told to Mr Nut, but he continued to harass me. I was only there for maybe an hour, maybe an hour and a half. I realize that a lot of people make their living from the beaches, however the area in front of the club was at least 90% empty, and I was in no way obstructing and in an out traffic in the four foot by two foot area I was occupying. I also do not like being told that Im a eyesore to the hotel guests because I am swimming on their beach, I too am paying to stay on the island. During your reply the only fix to this was for me to go elsewhere, or buy some services, I do buy services, both food and surfing equipment on the beach and nick nacks for some of women sellers on occasion.

Mr. Olivier Gibaud conveniently forgot to mention that the 20+ plots "allocated" to local families were allocated to them by themselves. In other words, they decided that the beach belonged to them, and justified their action with them taking care of the beach. In fact the only reason they take care of the beach is because it provides customer satisfaction which translates to higher revenue. Most other major hotels in Thailand clean the beach in front of their beachfront hotels, and none of them have had any part of the beach "allocated" to them, and they rarely attempt to throw away tourists from the beach, no matter where on the beach they are sitting.

I challenge Mr, Olivier Gibaud to show us or at least the OP just one piece of official paper from the rightful owner of the beach (HM the King / the central government) that proves that any of the mentioned families have any rights or responsibilities whatsoever to any part of any beach in Thailand incl. Surin Beach.

Remember, all those who encroach and build resorts in forest reserves around Thailand also claim they are really doing Thailand a favor by taking care of the areas and providing jobs. None of them mention that they stole the land without paying a single baht to anyone, and that their only motive is profit. The Surin beach encroaching is no different.

Mr. Olivier Gibaud, it could be that you actually believe what you wrote about dividing the beach to the local families many years ago, and it could also be that you simply do not want to lose your job, which I can understand. But I think we both know that the respectable thing to do is for you to tell your staff to leave tourists on the beach alone.

Edited July 23, 2013 by monkeycountry

[monkeycountry]

He says that he can use the beach club land only if he uses their services.

There should be NO conditions attached. The beach does not belong to them.

He pays for it probably in the region of 1-2 million per year. The person who is creating the problem is the local and provincial government who condone the beach rentals.

Don't shoot the messenger.

He does not have a legal lease for any beach land, end of story. He may have made a deal with some local officials who, just like him, know the deal is illegal, so they can all make an illegal profit, but it is still illegal, and gives him absolutely no legal rights to any beach land, which he is well aware of.

If some corrupt local official and I decide that I can rent a small part of the public road in front of my house, and I promise to clean it, can I then charge say 100 baht for each car that passes? If not, then please tell me the difference between the 2 scenarios?

[monkeycountry]

No.....the customer doesn't pay, the beach club should take it up with the government.

Some corrupt official rented out land that does not belong to the government.

The beach belongs to HRM.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

In my mind the person that is complaining is the one that needs to take it up with the relevant authority

The person(s) who are complaining is actually the staff at the beach club. They are the ones initially complaining that the OP sits on the beach. However, instead of calling the police to move/arrest the "trespasser" they simply take matters in their own hands - which I assume is also acceptable in your mind?

[monkeycountry]

No.....the customer doesn't pay, the beach club should take it up with the government.

Some corrupt official rented out land that does not belong to the government.

The beach belongs to HRM.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

In my mind the person that is complaining is the one that needs to take it up with the relevant authority

That is the reason I posted here to start. I wanted info on where to get help on this matter, I simply wanted to be able to sit on the beach where I was swimming without being harassed for it. If you know the relevant place to make a complaint then please provide it as I dont know, but would like to.

Unfortunately you have decided to sit on a beach in one of the most corrupt places in Thailand, namely P{huket, and it sounds like these local families are at the top of the food chain and the manager supports them, so even if you find someone to complain to, they will not help you, and your complaint will end in the trash. Further, if you push the matter too far you will most likely end up getting hurt or worse!

The best you can do is probably to publish stuff here on TV and other fora, in order to make everyone aware of what kind of criminals are running Surin Beach.

[monkeycountry]

Tell Oliver the central part is where the raw sewage seeps across the beach at low tide.

Interesting to hear this insider story on how the beach was "sectionated" to families

Glad you call it a story, as that is all it is :-D I have a feeling the local families might actually believe their own story, and will therefore defend their "rights".

[monkeycountry]

Tell Oliver the central part is where the raw sewage seeps across the beach at low tide.

Interesting to hear this insider story on how the beach was "sectionated" to families

And ended up in big business hands with none of the money going into local pockets.

This is not correct.

I have heard from a recipient of a section that a number of local families received licences to sections in the ballot that divided Surin Beach up many years ago.

It was mentioned that a non-local Thai woman and her German partner who had been previously trading on that beach also won one , but were told to walk by local mafia and they did.

The 'partners' referred to in the letter of response are local ballot winners receiving very large 'rents' for temporary use of their allotments.

So a number of people, big or small, are renting out property to each other that does not legally belong to any of them

Perhaps the friend you talked to can produce a legal lease or land title. If he/she is renting from someone else who is subletting, then at least he should have a copy of the land title or similar. Otherwise he has no way of knowing that the person who gave him/her the lease actually has the right to the leased property.

In case you try, I guarantee you will find that not a single one of the people involved, including local officials, have any form of paper from the rightful owner of the beach

[monkeycountry]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

Obviously you are not allowed to pass through Le Meridien's property, without their permission, in order to get to the beach. Should you however find another way, such as sailing to the beach in front of their hotel, that would be perfectly legal. Further, since Le Meridien is an international chain, not some local mafia owned hotel, I am quite sure the management would not harass you if you somehow found your way to the beach (the security guard might though, as he does not know any better)

[Jimi007]

Has anybody ever tried to do the same on Patong Beach? I'm sure much the same. If you pay big money to you know who for your 100 m of beach, you don't want somebody coming up and throwing down a towel. I don't agree with the system, but that's the way it is.

I have sat , swum and surfed on every part of Patong Beach , and there is no place where a public swimmer would be told to move.

It simply doesnt happen there.

It doesnt happen on Kamala Beach , nor Kata , nor any other beach on the West Coast that Im familiar with. And some of those beaches have much larger commercial interests fronting the beach than the one at hand on Surin.

I cant prove it , but it is my view that Surin is the only one that has restaurant owners and staff that see things differently.

And yes , if Somchai and his family want to camp on the beach for the day in front of some 'exclusive' concern , then , since the beach is public property , he is free to do so.

Just as he is free to do so on any public park in front of any exclusive concern.

I dont see any signage claiming any part of Surin ( or any beach in Phuket) is privately owned.

Has anyone else?

Surely, if the business concerned could do so legally , it would have signage claiming its exclusivity.

l think Nui beach will harass you if you dont pay the entrance fee of 200baht. Also you cant get onto the beach at La meridian resort as security will stop you

Obviously you are not allowed to pass through Le Meridien's property, without their permission, in order to get to the beach. Should you however find another way, such as sailing to the beach in front of their hotel, that would be perfectly legal. Further, since Le Meridien is an international chain, not some local mafia owned hotel, I am quite sure the management would not harass you if you somehow found your way to the beach (the security guard might though, as he does not know any better)

I've gone there a few times without any problem. Just dress nicely and walk right through. Bring your towel and swim suit in your bag. They had a nice pizza there years ago. But I haven't really checked it out lately. Other than to go to my Embassy's outreach program there once a year. But they do have a right to keep you out if you are accessing the beach by their land. No problem if by sea. The beach is public, but not necessarily a land access to it.