Demolition time: Phuket beach clubs bow to government orders

[webfact]

Demolition time: Phuket beach clubs bow to government orders
Anthika Muangrod


So where do I get my food now? The dog sits in the wreckage of a destroyed restaurant on Surin Beach.

PHUKET: -- The beachfront at Surin Beach began to undergo a massive change today (June 16) as restaurants and beach clubs, who have been sitting on public land – in some cases for decades – complied with government orders to clear illegal structures.

Bongo Rum Bar is already gone. Permanently. Half of Bimi Beach Club is gone, as is the beachside half of Diamond Beach Club.

The famed beachside deck and bar of Catch Beach Club will be ripped up tomorrow (June 17).

The pool and bar at Zazada Beach Club will be destroyed as soon as management can confirm the exact boundaries of the public land.

Xana Beach Club and Nikki Beach Club, further north on the shore of Bangtao Bay, are both legal, Ma’an Samran, Chief Executive of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) told The Phuket News today. The same is understood to be true of Bliss Beach Club. Their structures are all on private land.

But the famed Lotus restaurant on Bang Tao has to go completely, Mr Ma’an said. Other bars and restaurants on beaches or on the rocks are going or gone, their owners bowing to the inevitable.

On Friday night Skyla’s Beach House on the rocks at the north end of Kamala Beach announced on its Facebook page, “The Thai army has ordered Skyla’s Beach House to close down so we are throwing one thumping last party TONIGHT, hope u can join this memorable occasion!!! Let make the best party ever guys!!!” [sic].

The owners began pulling it down on Sunday.

At Surin, which has long drawn the smartest and most glittering of Phuket’s visitors, some of the clubs are making the best of a bad time. Catch Beach Club restaurant manager Eknarin “Eak” Udomlarp told The Phuket News that instead of the beachside deck, a new open-air section of the club will be built behind the existing building – the side away from the sea.

This will take just five days to construct, before a grand opening is held. The exact date will be announced soon.

“I think we will probably have more customers than before, because we are changing the look of our club to be even more gorgeous,” Mr Eak said.

Zazada’s assistant operation manager, Kantasit Charoensuk, said, “We are waiting for confirmation of the land boundaries but we will lose the swimming pool and the bar. That’s a big loss; the swimming pool is the biggest selling point for us.

“We will demolish the concrete structures and landscape the [public land] part.”

Diamond Beach Club manager Kittipong Porjai said all structures would be removed from the public land, and replaced only with beach chairs, but otherwise no major changes would be made.

Anything more than a chair and umbrella on the seaward side of the walkway has to go. Right along the beach restaurants and bars were removing salas, bowers and benches, and the sound of jackhammers and sledge hammers will be coming soon as concrete structures are demolished.

It’s been a good run for most of the owners along Surin Beach. But today, as great grey waves crashed onto Surin Beach, the fun atmosphere was replaced by something grimmer and more subdued.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/demolition-time-phuket-beach-clubs-bow-to-government-orders-46883.php


-- Phuket News 2014-06-17

[David48]

I assume that this is good news for Phuket?

Rule of Law arrives via the Army.

Sounds good to me ...

.

[sscsamui]

Once again Power to the Army....

[LivinginKata]

This is very good news.

[craigt3365]

Interesting at how quick this was done...and how many officials over the years have said the problem is "complicated" and could not be solved quickly....hmmmm.....

[inthefareast]

Nice work Army. When you do things illegally its bound to come back and get you.

[steelepulse]

Interesting at how quick this was done...and how many officials over the years have said the problem is "complicated" and could not be solved quickly....hmmmm.....

It's complicated when you are receiving thick envelopes. I wonder how all the local gov't officers are going to make up for the huge shortfall in income now.

[Chang_paarp]

I wonder if they are having trouble getting people to to do the demolition and subsequent construction given the mass exit of foreign workers.

[sharecropper]

I wonder if they're brave enough to now take on the 101 Businesses and demolish the whole illegally-built sea side of Walking Street in Pattaya?

[CiaranO]

It is quite amazing how quickly this was accomplished. It wasnt that long ago that the mayor of Bang Tao said it was impossible to do. Well it only took a week. I reckon his accounts should be investigated next.

[keestha]

Restaurants/guesthouses built on piers in Hua Hin?

Edited June 17, 2014 by keestha

[Maggusoil]

What is interesting is just how many officials, police, illegal businesses, et al, the Army has got onto in such a short space of time.

It seems they were not just sitting on their hands, in all the peace time between coups, or as they like it periods between military law.

They had and have an extensive hit list to root out as much rubbish as they can.

Very interesting. Really well done.

What is also fascinating is the contempt major democracies have shown for the takeover, not taking any account of the great job the army are

trying to do with this opportunity.

Thailand seems to need a tough hand to take control of its unruliness.

Foreign democracies, particularly my own in Australia, just have the same corruption going on, but harder to detect.

Take the greasy dealing between the government and mining co's. Its a farce.

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

[stevenl]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

[Maggusoil]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

The reason for the reasoning is, they are in the pay of the banks. Certainly in the west. In Australia the banks control the courts and the pollies.

Nobody looks beyond the coddling of the nanny state, and its proposed gunless, cashless society.

How's that for opening a few doors I shouldn't have opened.

[NamKangMan]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

The reason for the reasoning is, they are in the pay of the banks. Certainly in the west. In Australia the banks control the courts and the pollies.

Nobody looks beyond the coddling of the nanny state, and its proposed gunless, cashless society.

How's that for opening a few doors I shouldn't have opened.

I would also put oil companies along side the banks, as those actually in control of many countries, via Governments, that have received "donations" from them for their election campaigns.

[KarenBravo]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

A benevolent dictatorship is definitely good for getting things done, but, as a form of government, it has one fatal flaw. Succession.

As Winston Churchill said:-

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

[stevenl]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

A benevolent dictatorship is definitely good for getting things done, but, as a form of government, it has one fatal flaw. Succession.

As Winston Churchill said:-

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Yes, one of the real issues.

[phuketrichard]

photos showing this morning at Kamala an Surin

all BUT the big club at the end of te beach are tearing down.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/734489-the-best-day-ever-on-phuket/page-3#entry7983383

[Maggusoil]

Give me a good dictator, with good intentions any day over the conniving, lying, grubby politicians and thieving bureaucrats all covering for one another.

There are some real issues with this reasoning, but I agree. In order to solve the problems the world is facing at the moment, the present elected governments have to go.

A benevolent dictatorship is definitely good for getting things done, but, as a form of government, it has one fatal flaw. Succession.

As Winston Churchill said:-

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

and a well worn quote it is. . .

Well put, albeit by a principal of democracy. He would advocate it.

We're facing a succession problem in Thailand right now

In the Royalty and in the Government

Still, as we have noticed, life, meaning the workers, work on.

Democracy has become too simplistic a term for what is now a complex beast.

Its justices and fairness are in decline, even in the West.

Unless we enlighten ourselves as to how to support it, we will never free ourselves from our oppressors.

In particular the banks.

[Loles]

This means the police friends couldn't protect them as before every-times. Bravo Army.

[EBlair48]

Pics of Urine beach.

CATCH caught

I especially enjoyed Pla's offensive beach takeover coming down-

The manager once threatened me when I parked my scooter in front of the now demolished beach section which he called " his" land.

Now making a filthy mess,

Wwill that get cleaned up before high tide tonight? So what, just let the waves carry it away. Mai pen rai !!

The Dolphin statue has deteriorated beyond any semblance of art,

but still functions, as a trash can!! My pen rai !!

South end Pearl has not touched its concrete section.

Edited June 17, 2014 by EBlair48

[EBlair48]

The Zzzzzz club

VIPee Pee

Whaaaaaa [ Sniffs, rubs eyes,] no more exclusionary clubs to make me feel superior...

Heave Ho's ....

This Diamond ain't forever...

Pla is however, still contributing to the environment...

...And looks as if it will be for some time...

[Bulldozer Dawn]

"Its been a good run for most of the owners along Surin Beach."

What "owners"?

The appropriate title is thugs, criminals, squatters, or thieves.

They can't OWN public land. They can just try to exclude the general public with cement, fences, and thuggish standover tactics.

Jail all of these so called owners.

And then drain their bank accounts to pay for the regeneration of the flora and fauna on the primary dune zone.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Bulldozer Dawn

[stuarty]

From the OP article

But the famed Lotus restaurant on Bang Tao has to go completely, Mr Ma’an said. Other bars and restaurants on beaches or on the rocks are going or gone, their owners bowing to the inevitable.

I've been told the Lotus and adjacent Palm Beach club (both entirely in front of the beach rd) are only ripping up some concrete in front of their restaurants. Anyone know if they are staying or going? What about the Laypang restaurant (best on Bangtao/"Laypang" Beach) next to the Lotus?