Illegal shops face demolition

[Lite Beer]

Illegal shops face demolition
Thanapat Kitjakosol
The Nation

Officials from Phuket

PHUKET: -- Ownership of 92 unlawfully acquired plots covering 1,000 rai to be revoked

Illegally built shops and resorts along two famous beaches in Phuket are being dismantled as part of a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) crackdown on encroachment onto state-owned land and national parks.

Umbrellas and beach chairs owned by food shop owners are also being removed from Naithon and Naiyang beaches, after tourists complained that they were shooed away by owners if they sat nearby without paying or eating at the shops.

The umbrellas and chairs were an eyesore on the beaches for most visitors, the complaints said.

Both beaches are part of the Sirinath National Park. The shops that have not been demolished have been given a 30-day deadline starting from now to dissemble their installations and relocate or the properties will be demolished by forestry officials at the expense of the owners in the next 15-30 days.

Separately, Samak Donnapee, director of the Bureau of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the "ownership" of 92 plots of unlawfully acquired land covering more than 1,000 rai by former ministers and deputies, and provincial governors would be revoked.

"The NCPO has the names of all these people and is aware of this issue," he said, without elaborating.

He added that past agreements were unlawful because his bureau had not approved them.

The Sakhoo Tambon Adminis-trative Organisation (TAO) had been informed the agreements were unlawful and petitions were lodged with the police against the owners of permanent buildings. But he did not say if legal action would later be taken against these former officials.

Meanwhile, senior forestry official, Sanit Ongsara, said the park had signed an agreement with the Sakhoo TAO, to manage beachfront shops and resorts.

However, he said, permanent buildings were later constructed and the number of beach chairs exceeded the number originally agreed upon.

"The space on the beach and the buildings were transferred later to renters or buyers at high prices, and reached Bt7 million for each shop," Sanit said.

Six-month timeframe

He said the disassembly work on both beaches would be completed in six months. It would be conducted jointly by a team of 200 forestry officials, soldiers, and officials from relevant agencies.

Seven buildings have been dismantled so far, he said, adding that the owners only paid property tax, signboard tax and fees for instructions they request. "There are a few people benefiting from running the shops and resorts, but the beach is public land which should be utilised fairly by everyone." he added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Illegal-shops-face-demolition-30238316.html

-- The Nation 2014-07-12

[terryp]

about time ....regarding the land with papers that were faked forged or doctored , what about jail time?

[simon43]

I took a drive along Naithon beach yesterday - many demolished, beach-front buildings. It all looked very good, returning the beach to how I remember it from many years ago.

Still no action on the illegal buildings at Nai Yang beach. I hope this clearance work will start after the Buddha holiday.

[lostsoul49]

Owners losing out should be allowed to sue those who sold them the land for their money back and asset seizure if necessary to pay for it.

Wonder how many were paying tax?

[Oziex1]

I think we all agree this is a good thing, I feel a little frustration at not seeing the big fish take a fall. Maybe I'm being impatient.

What about these taxi creeps they're still around no change. Re minds me of the beach building demolition the buildings are gone but the garbage was left behind.

[Living in a cartoon]

I think we all agree this is a good thing, I feel a little frustration at not seeing the big fish take a fall. Maybe I'm being impatient.

What about these taxi creeps they're still around no change. Re minds me of the beach building demolition the buildings are gone but the garbage was left behind.

Be patient. The sphincters are tightening on the "big fish".

[garydubbs]

great news. if this keeps up i might start taking the family back there on holiday

(vowed to never return again before)

[robblok]

I think we all agree this is a good thing, I feel a little frustration at not seeing the big fish take a fall. Maybe I'm being impatient.

What about these taxi creeps they're still around no change. Re minds me of the beach building demolition the buildings are gone but the garbage was left behind.

If you read the article they are going to take back 1000 rai a lot of it owned by politicians ect. Its all there in the OP.

Separately, Samak Donnapee, director of the Bureau of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the "ownership" of 92 plots of unlawfully acquired land covering more than 1,000 rai by former ministers and deputies, and provincial governors would be revoked.

Edited July 12, 2014 by robblok

[stevenl]

Owners losing out should be allowed to sue those who sold them the land for their money back and asset seizure if necessary to pay for it.

Wonder how many were paying tax?

Of course they are allowed to sue, everybody is allowed to sue.

[Varangkul]

Owners losing out should be allowed to sue those who sold them the land for their money back and asset seizure if necessary to pay for it.

Wonder how many were paying tax?

Of course they are allowed to sue, everybody is allowed to sue.

Perhaps they are too scared to sue - surely they knew the deal was illegal in the first place. A "No-win" situation, I should think!

[timewilltell]

Great work, but there must be prosecution of these politicians and officials stealing from the country. Maybe nanny will be happy they are not Chinese and many more happy they moved to Thailand some years ago before committing this treason. In China the corrupt face execution for serious corruption!

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[LivinginKata]

Keep up the good work NCPO/army. Now time to prosecute the officials. Heavy fines and jail time.

[CNXBKKMAN]

All the Thai people who bought the land new it was dodgy and not legit. They assumed TIT and it won't ever be a problem. Maybe a farang buying for his wife might be ignorant but Thais know about the status of land in national parks or on beaches etc. They know its illegal and its never been a problem until now. TIP!! This Is Prayuth.

[BlackJack]

who owns the beaches over Thailand?

I will be convinced of this movement when I see Pattaya pulled into line.

Many high rise on the beach front now

Lets see if these are pulled down?

[Living in a cartoon]

great news. if this keeps up i might start taking the family back there on holiday

(vowed to never return again before)

Don't be rash. I will wait until 2016, and then consider it

My TGF would like to visit Phi Phi soon, so I may reconsider.

[iReason]

"tourists complained that they were shooed away by owners if they sat nearby without paying or eating at the shops."

The arrogance of these scumbags is stunning.

[Lite Beer]

Phuket west coast beach restoration nearly halfway through: Gov Maitri

Darawan Naknakhon

PHUKET: The local government's campaign to restore order on Phuket's major west-coast beaches is about 45 per cent through, Governor Maitri Inthusut has revealed.

Speaking to the Phuket News yesterday (June 11), Governor Maitri Inthusut reiterated that the government will continue to establish order by returning all public places to the public, while also seeking out measures to help operators who have been affected.

So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said.

The governor described the NCPO orders to weed out encroachment on 14 major public beaches on Phuket's west coast as “a successful operation so far over the past three weeks”.

He gave praise to cooperation among and service from local authorities and personnel from the Royal Thai Army's 41st Military Circle Command (based in Nakhon Si Thammarat) and the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 command (based in Phang Nga), in helping to raize and remove encroaching structures.

“The beaches are starting to look orderly and beautiful like they once did,” he said.

He explained that Phuket province has proceeded under four relevant laws. Namely, the law governing buildings; the law governing public spaces and the laws governing environmental and marine matters, respectively.

“We have treated each beach on a case-by-case basis, and in any case with uncertainties about the respective law will be consulted with the jurisprudence [experts] before proceeding,” he continued.

“We will proceed with cooperation, orderly of the law, carefully and completely and without impeding on the rights of the people.”

He said that local authorities are now surveying each beach locale to see how many shops and operators have been affected, so that legal zones can be devised in order to help them conduct business.

He pleaded for the cooperation of all sectors, especially local hotels, to ensure that the current order is maintained.

He insisted that everyone will need to cooperate in negotiating and divising zones for affect operators to conduct their businesses, while the local government authorities will be“hosts”.

“The complexity for each [beach] locale varies. Some locales will need to secure permission to use private property, and some locales will devise a zone in which the government selects, but not on state land. Zones thay will be on private property will need to be agreed upon between local government and the respective organizations...

"Any private land that is granted for the public to make a living will be welcome,” he said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-west-coast-beach-restoration-nearly-halfway-through-gov-maitri-47314.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-- Phuket News 2014-07-12

[bangarang]

The beach chairs were an eyesore? How about regulating how many and where they should be placed instead. So now tourist will be forced to stay in the sun without umbrellas and chairs? Sounds like there will be more complaints about not getting any shade than being an eyesore.

I understand the old-timers here complaining about the good-ole days, but times have changed and in order to bring in more people you need to cater to them. People want beach umbrellas and chairs, and having a beer delivered to them without having to walk half a KM to get it. Or if you do bring it with you, your second beer is too warm to enjoy.

Its good that this corruption is being taken care of but I feel like this will do more harm than good to Phukets backbone which is the tourism industry. Maybe its better to regulate whats going on instead and prevent it from spreading.

Going back to the beach chair people... I felt like they were doing a good job keeping the beach area clean because come on.. no one wants to sit in chairs next to a bunch of trash. Without them who is going to pick up the beach goers trash? This would be a great opportunity to set up an extra tax for these beach businesses that would go back into preserving the beach for cleanup/maintenance & safety.

[Jimi007]

The beach chairs were an eyesore? How about regulating how many and where they should be placed instead. So now tourist will be forced to stay in the sun without umbrellas and chairs? Sounds like there will be more complaints about not getting any shade than being an eyesore.

I understand the old-timers here complaining about the good-ole days, but times have changed and in order to bring in more people you need to cater to them. People want beach umbrellas and chairs, and having a beer delivered to them without having to walk half a KM to get it. Or if you do bring it with you, your second beer is too warm to enjoy.

Its good that this corruption is being taken care of but I feel like this will do more harm than good to Phukets backbone which is the tourism industry. Maybe its better to regulate whats going on instead and prevent it from spreading.

Going back to the beach chair people... I felt like they were doing a good job keeping the beach area clean because come on.. no one wants to sit in chairs next to a bunch of trash. Without them who is going to pick up the beach goers trash? This would be a great opportunity to set up an extra tax for these beach businesses that would go back into preserving the beach for cleanup/maintenance & safety.

Really? You liked chairs and want regulation? That didn't work, did it? They were supposed to have two rows of loungers maximum, but they just got greedier every year until there was no open beach. There are no beach loungers rentals allowed on any beach in Australia or California as they are public lands as are the beaches here in Thailand. We seem to get along fine with out them. Get yourself a folding camping chair, a small beach umbrella and an ice cooler and you're set. Or find a shady spot under a tree now that all the beaches are free of loungers that were occupying every square meter of beach. We had a campaign in my area of California that started back in the 1970's. It was called "Pack Your Trash!" It caught on and all the locals do, it's the brilliant tourists who can't seem to figure out, if you can pack in your food and drink full, it's easy to pack out the empties...

[CroBiker]

The beach chairs were an eyesore? How about regulating how many and where they should be placed instead. So now tourist will be forced to stay in the sun without umbrellas and chairs? Sounds like there will be more complaints about not getting any shade than being an eyesore.

I understand the old-timers here complaining about the good-ole days, but times have changed and in order to bring in more people you need to cater to them. People want beach umbrellas and chairs, and having a beer delivered to them without having to walk half a KM to get it. Or if you do bring it with you, your second beer is too warm to enjoy.

Its good that this corruption is being taken care of but I feel like this will do more harm than good to Phukets backbone which is the tourism industry. Maybe its better to regulate whats going on instead and prevent it from spreading.

Going back to the beach chair people... I felt like they were doing a good job keeping the beach area clean because come on.. no one wants to sit in chairs next to a bunch of trash. Without them who is going to pick up the beach goers trash? This would be a great opportunity to set up an extra tax for these beach businesses that would go back into preserving the beach for cleanup/maintenance & safety.

Really? You liked chairs and want regulation? That didn't work, did it? They were supposed to have two rows of loungers maximum, but they just got greedier every year until there was no open beach. There are no beach loungers rentals allowed on any beach in Australia or California as they are public lands as are the beaches here in Thailand. We seem to get along fine with out them. Get yourself a folding camping chair, a small beach umbrella and an ice cooler and you're set. Or find a shady spot under a tree now that all the beaches are free of loungers that were occupying every square meter of beach. We had a campaign in my area of California that started back in the 1970's. It was called "Pack Your Trash!" It caught on and all the locals do, it's the brilliant tourists who can't seem to figure out, if you can pack in your food and drink full, it's easy to pack out the empties...

Agree with you 100% Jimi.

[NamKangMan]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

[KarenBravo]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

Because they are obviously not to blame, or responsible, therefore somebody else must be.

That somebody else, must be the government, so, they must help.

[NamKangMan]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

Because they are obviously not to blame, or responsible, therefore somebody else must be.

That somebody else, must be the government, so, they must help.

Using that reasoning, why is the local Government to blame? Can't they blame the Central Government in Bangkok for not sending the Army, years ago?

[shirtless]

Its good to see they need to follow up on who allowed this to happen and prosecute them. Only then will i believe this is for real , otherwise its just a farce with people who can least afford the lost left to pay the price.

[KarenBravo]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

Because they are obviously not to blame, or responsible, therefore somebody else must be.

That somebody else, must be the government, so, they must help.

Using that reasoning, why is the local Government to blame? Can't they blame the Central Government in Bangkok for not sending the Army, years ago?

Don't ask me. I was highlighting their mentality, not my point of view.

[NamKangMan]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

Because they are obviously not to blame, or responsible, therefore somebody else must be.

That somebody else, must be the government, so, they must help.

Using that reasoning, why is the local Government to blame? Can't they blame the Central Government in Bangkok for not sending the Army, years ago?

Don't ask me. I was highlighting their mentality, not my point of view.

Can "their mentality" be found anywhere in Thai law?

How will this "assistance" be recorded in the local Government's balance sheet?

[oldsailor35]

"So far 352 affected operators in Patong have already registered for assistance, he said." - why is "assistance" being given to them?

They have been using public land for private commercial gain, and the corruption here has allowed them to do so, for years.

Under what pretext do they qualify for "assistance?"

Because they are obviously not to blame, or responsible, therefore somebody else must be.

That somebody else, must be the government, so, they must help.

Not to blame !! They knew damned well that the beach is owned by the King and not Sgt Somchai down at the local police stn where they paid their monthly fee. They are responsible for their own greed.

[oldsailor35]

Are they allowing the Surf Ski's to continue to park and operate off the beach.

[aussieinphuket]

excellent work... just ensure they don't return to any beaches or carparks you have already removed and cleaned out PLEASE.........

[LivinginKata]

excellent work... just ensure they don't return to any beaches or carparks you have already removed and cleaned out PLEASE.........

Unfortunately when elections are sucessfully held and the army leaves, then back to business as usual.