The Best Day Ever on Phuket

[Pinot]

This was the day they took away every structure that encroached on Phuket beaches. You can’t imagine how huge that is for a guy that walks these beaches every day. They are now coming in with bulldozers to remove anything that remains. It's a miracle.

There was only one way this could have happened, Buddha bless, the Thai military. The same military that just took out the Taxi mafia, just pulled off an amazing ecological coup, they cleaned up the King's beaches.

You need to lower your expectations when you live here. You expect the entrenched corruption. Nothing will ever change, every official you deal with in Thailand is bent. I get it. That’s why I’m so amazed! In my wildest dreams I never expected this day would come.

The best day, the only thing allowed on a King's beach...is sand.

[stuarty]

What beaches, exactly?

[phuketrichard]

hasn't happened yet>

between Kamala an Bang tao

[robertthebruce]

Glad that it's your best day ever.

Things are changing for the better, long may it last

[steelepulse]

It will be interesting to see if they take down the huge illegal restaurant built on the rocks on the south end of Nai Harn. Friends that know the situation there well said this restaurant paid 500K to the local for the privilege.

[Pinot]

Kamala Beach has been almost cleared. Surin they were working hard to get rid of their illegal restaurants, working on salvaging materials. I understand it's a 100k baht fine if it's not removed. It was business as usual at the upscale club at the North end of Surin (Click?) Probably the biggest offender and most expensive club on the beach. We'll see what happens with that. Bang Tow was also in the process of dismantling wherever I looked.

I'll take a look at Patong today.

[stuarty]

Pinot - What about the Lotus at bangtao, and the reggae bar? Did you take any pics?

[nedkellylives]

It will be interesting to see if they take down the huge illegal restaurant built on the rocks on the south end of Nai Harn. Friends that know the situation there well said this restaurant paid 500K to the local for the privilege.

I wondered how they could built that restaurant on public land, people have complained about it

but its still there and now has blocked access to the beach

i noticed yesterday that the small thai food places built on the parking area behind it have gone

Also the taxi stand, good riddance they were taking up a lot of the public parking areas

Its obvious why people want to be in local govt here

[phuketrichard]

just drove thru patong and it looks the same as always.

there mostly ONLY chairs set out there not restaurants ( as Kamala) or rest/ clubs ( as Surin)

they seem to be filming a movie at the western end of soi bangla at the beach.

[phuketrichard]

Update Sunday 3 pm

95% of Kamala public land is now clear of all structures an by late tomorrow it will be 100%, If the beach wasn't so dirty, cause of the storms, it would look so nice.

over to Surin

What a difference!!!

less than 20% have started clearing and ONLY one of the ones between the parking lot and the big club ( never been inside but they have a full kitchen an swimming pool on the beach) at the north end have done anything. Otherwise its business as normal.

I guess they figure since they spent so much $$ they will be immune from the upcoming Tuesday deadline.

I would imagine there's going to be some very unhappy people in a few days. I look forward to the confrontation between bulldozers, a few hundred police and Army vs the local " we are above all these rules"

[Pinot]

I was also in Patong and they haven't dealt with this yet. Patong is a different problem. Not a lot of structures built onto the beach but many massage huts and small bars standing that have all been cleared on the beaches to the North. Everything illegal in Bang Tow was coming down. I don't know about Lotus and the reggae bar. I saw salvage going on everywhere there.

And I did see that movie being filmed in Patong, beach was crowded compared to Kamala and Surin where it's dead.

Anyone on what's going on South of Patong?

[kurnell]

Everything's better with pictures

[phuketrichard]

i took photos of the clubs on Surin. but not worth posting. there just clubs on the beach

the one on the end is very impressive. someone put a lot of $$ into building it an they will not go away without a fight or compensation.

[stuarty]

Then it seems to be panning out as I predicted. The larger fish are preparing the large brown envelopes, and not the demolition. The deadline is tomorrow for Surin, Bangtao etc.

[nedkellylives]

i took photos of the clubs on Surin. but not worth posting. there just clubs on the beach

the one on the end is very impressive. someone put a lot of $$ into building it an they will not go away without a fight or compensation.

Why should they be compensated for building on public land

If they do not remove the structure the govt should and send them a bill for doing it and seize some of there other property if they do not pay

[KarenBravo]

Tomorrow is make, or break day.

Is it a new dawn, or is it back to normal?

[Old Croc]

The Catch Beach Club seems unfazed at this stage:

http://phuket-weather.blogspot.com/2010/03/webcam-at-twin-palms-resort-surin-beach.html

[Guest]

The Catch Beach Club seems unfazed at this stage:

http://phuket-weather.blogspot.com/2010/03/webcam-at-twin-palms-resort-surin-beach.html

Thanks for the link. It would be great to be able to see live feed in case this place is dismantled tomorrow.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

You guys are getting excited over nothing.

ALL of the structures that have been removed so far were...removable.

Tents, bamboo huts, paver bricks and the like.

None...that's NONE of the permanent structures have been removed so far.

The demise of Surin beach started with the CATCH development. They occupied public land and fenced it off, and then, as is the Thai way, their business model was copied. Now you have that whole end of Surin beach concreted over.

It would seem that if the army does not bulldoze CATCH, DIAMOND BEACH CLUB, BIMA, BONGO RUM BAR and all of the the other PERMANENT and illegal structures on Surin beach on Tuesday it is game over.

Corruption will have won the day (AGAIN) and all of the other removable business will return to occupy and fence off of public land prior to the start of the next high season.

I am praying for a bull dozer dawn.

How about you?

[Old Croc]

Bulldozer Dawn!

Welcome to the forum Bulldozer!

[thailiketoo]

The OP mentioned the Taxi mafia. What happened?

[Shot]

0945 today Kamala Beach had only one structure left, and that was a massage tent just north of the police station.

[LivinginKata]

Bulldozer sounds good to me.

[stuarty]

"0945 today Kamala Beach had only one structure left, and that was a massage tent just north of the police station."

Excellent outcome, but Kamala had no large permanent structures. Unless they clear Catch, Lotus and cronies, the bamboo boys will be straight back next high season.

[NamKangMan]

"The best day ever on Phuket" - perhaps the "best days on Phuket" are yet to come. We can only hope.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

0945 today Kamala Beach had only one structure left, and that was a massage tent just north of the police station.

Incorrect.

There are still a good many large structures/businesses at the north end of the beach passed the klong. For example the Kamala Go Surfing bar and associated structures, then several large beach club style lounges (that are funded/run by resorts back up in the hills), and then the Skyla bar at the far northern end. If these structures are not removed, it will be business as usual come next high season.

[Shot]

^^^My bad, I completely forgot about those and didn't get up to that part of the beach this morning. But, I will tomorrow.

[Guest]

Please, share some images as well. It would be nice to see how the beaches look like at the moment.

[Pinot]

0945 today Kamala Beach had only one structure left, and that was a massage tent just north of the police station.

Incorrect.

There are still a good many large structures/businesses at the north end of the beach passed the klong. For example the Kamala Go Surfing bar and associated structures, then several large beach club style lounges (that are funded/run by resorts back up in the hills), and then the Skyla bar at the far northern end. If these structures are not removed, it will be business as usual come next high season.

Skyla bar had it's closing party Saturday. It's coming down as well as the two next to it. The club style lounges were packing up. Kamala has eliminated all the structures to the west of the foot path. There is a dramatic change in the look of Kamala Beach.

[Pinot]

The OP mentioned the Taxi mafia. What happened?

All taxi stands have been eliminated on Phuket. 100 illegal taxi drivers arrested, still in jail I think. One of the taxi drivers had 100 million baht in his bank account. They tried to have a rally and no one showed up. The taxi mafia is running scared. Next up for all this is Patong.