10 restaurants demolished on Phuket’s Sai Kaew Beach

[Lite Beer]

10 restaurants demolished on Phuket’s Sai Kaew Beach

Eakkapop Thongtub

Soldiers pull down structures at Sai Kaew Beach.

PHUKET: Ten restaurants on Sai Kaew Beach, at the north end of Mai Khao Beach, which their owners claim have been there for over 40 years, were demolished this morning (July 24) by Sirinat Marine National Park and other officials, assisted by 150 army troops.

The 10 restaurants occupied about 15 rai of land belonging to the Treasury Department, along the edge of the beach.

Jirasak Chookwamdee, head of Protected Areas Regional Office 5, said, “There are a total of four beaches in Sirinat Park that have been encroached on – Sai Kaew, Mai Khao, Nai Yang and Nai Thon. Sai Kaew is the last one to be cleared up.

“We are going to plant sea pines [casuarinas] and trees that can live with sea water, to make the beach look they way before [the restaurants were there].

“We are going to do this on August 10 to honour HM Queen Sirikit, who graciously gave her name to the national park.” August 12 is the Mother’s Day, Her Majesty’s birthday.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/10-restaurants-demolished-on-phuket%E2%80%99s-sai-kaew-beach-47503.php

-- Phuket News 2014-07-24

[LivinginKata]

Off topic political post removed.

[EBlair48]

So will we see the expensive, branded condo projects going up on Mai Khao demolished, too? More and more it looking like only low wage workers are targeted.

[Pinot]

So will we see the expensive, branded condo projects going up on Mai Khao demolished, too? More and more it looking like only low wage workers are targeted.

That's nonsense. More and more it looks like they've laid down the law uniformly.

I don't understand why people write negative things like this. What's happened on Phuket has been a miracle. Buddha bless the Generals.

[EBlair48]

Well write home about it as that certainly is what you're supposed to do. So far I see no big fish frying, only harassment of low income workers. As I've said before I do hope I'm wrong about the Junta, because if I'm right, it will lead to a very very bad situation.

[NamKangMan]

Well write home about it as that certainly is what you're supposed to do. So far I see no big fish frying, only harassment of low income workers. As I've said before I do hope I'm wrong about the Junta, because if I'm right, it will lead to a very very bad situation.

I think, to date, the Mayor of Karon has been the biggest fish to go into the fry pan. It will be interesting to see just how "cooked" he gets.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

So will we see the expensive, branded condo projects going up on Mai Khao demolished, too? More and more it looking like only low wage workers are targeted.

That's nonsense. More and more it looks like they've laid down the law uniformly.

I don't understand why people write negative things like this. What's happened on Phuket has been a miracle. Buddha bless the Generals.

You are cheering the Junta on, but from where I am sitting I just see the poor people wiped out.

Read the article, they say ALL of the beaches are now cleaned (this being the last) including Nai thon and Nai Yang.

Perhaps you don't even live in Thailand, but if you do take a drive to Nai Thon beach and have a look. The poor punters have been cleared off the beach, but the rich (bangkok owned) mega resorts are untouched. Have a look at the Pullman resort at the North end of the beach, they are trading on with total impunity, in fact they are still carrying further building works as I type. Have a look at the environmental disaster at the southern end of the beach on the mountainside, where just a few months back a half dozen bulldozers and hundreds of Burmese day labourers showed up and clear felled a whole mountainside of National Park...and NO ONE stopped them. Now on that same mountainside there is a collection of shockingly substandard cement structure which breach both the local height codes and slope codes. You will also notice that they have accelerated their building activity in the last few weeks. Oh and lets not forget White haven beach that tuned a public beach into a private enclave, or Trisara that did the same.

And that is just Nai Thon.

Perhaps Simon43 would like to chime in here to give his opinion about whether all of the illegal structures are now completely cleared from Nai Yang...

Edited July 24, 2014 by LivinginKata
insult removed

[Jimi007]

^ Ah yes, all those poor people who have encroached on public land… I don't feel a bit sorry for them. The bigger fish are being carefully looked at and the powers that be don't want lengthy court battles with no resolve as has happened in the past. I can't find a "White Haven Beach" anywhere on Phuket, although there is one in Queensland, AUS. White Box on the other hand in Kalim is being closed according to an article in the Phuket Wan that I cannot quote due to forum rule 26...

Edited July 24, 2014 by Jimi007

[brfsa2]

Well done...

all those restaurants on public land has been operating paying bribes to corrupt police for decades, with no respect to the nature and public environment.

[simon43]

I will chime in. At Nai Yang beach, the only structures demolished were the bamboo hut restaurants that local people used, not the more substantial tourist businesses.

I know that there is ongoing investigation into land titles in the National Park, but the businesses on NY beach are just laughing at the army and continue to build their concrete structures.

At Sai Kaew beach, those bamboo restaurants generally again serve just locals with food - they were in place before the tsunami and rebuilt after it.

I know that technically these bamboo businesses are illegal. But I have to agree with Bulldozer Dawn and say that the only businesses that have been demolished in the NP have been bamboo restaurant structures that mainly served local Thais.

I did hear that the army was out in force last night at NY beach, so I'll drive down later to take a look.

Also to add from the recent report in the other paper that Phuket Peninsula resort is not constructed on NP land, that seems strange to believe, since that abandoned project is sitting right on the hillside of the forest reserve.

I know a lot about the NP because I not only built my first small hotel close (but outside) the NP boundary, prior to that project I (my company) owned 6 rai of land in Saku that was immediately adjacent to the hillside of the forest reserve, about 2km from Phuket Peninsula. There was no secret about where the forest reserve of the NP started - it started as soon as the flat land (my land) ended and the hillside began.

Edited July 25, 2014 by simon43

[backstairs]

I think Bulldozer is talking about White Beach Resort which is half way between Nai Thon and Trisara. A year ago there was huge excavation above it on the hill which caused massive wash down when it rained. You can still see the sand bags by the road. The excavations have stopped but the scar is enormous. Bulldozer asks many good questions. There are many anomalies. Take Layan. Most of the bamboo structures have gone but Reggae Bar still operating. And Nikki Beach beach club? That's only been affected by the gales and sea spray.

[Deli]

We are going to plant sea pines [casuarinas] and trees that can live with sea water, to make the beach look they way before [the restaurants were there

And than there will be the day, when cars will be banned and we'll ride with an ox - cart to the office...

​It's starting to become too much and at the wrong end. If it will look, smell and behave and COST like Singapore, the millions who came in the recent past, won't like it any longer. And me, too.

[janpharma]

Next stop Laem Mae Phim?

[TTom911]

if the generals don't get this balance between the big shot and the small fish right there will be blood on the street, sooner or later, no question... to get that balance right will be the big challenge for them... let's hope they intend and succeed in doing that...

[stuarty]

Laem Mae Phim encroachment

Link to gigantic image removed, please think of others when posting or use the file attach function which places a thumbnail

Edited July 25, 2014 by Crossy
gigantic image removed

[simon43]

That's an enormous photo Stuarty! Screwed up my browser display completely!!

[spidermike007]

Well write home about it as that certainly is what you're supposed to do. So far I see no big fish frying, only harassment of low income workers. As I've said before I do hope I'm wrong about the Junta, because if I'm right, it will lead to a very very bad situation.

I think, to date, the Mayor of Karon has been the biggest fish to go into the fry pan. It will be interesting to see just how "cooked" he gets.

If one is arrested, the next step is ensuring that both the prosecutors office, and the judiciary are clean. That is often not the case here. Here are some excerpts from international organization on the Thai judiciary. It appears to be highly compromised. How do you fix the system without addressing this?

Individual Corruption

According to the Human Rights Report 2013, the judiciary is subject to corruption. Thailand's judicial system functions at a very slow pace: Drawn-out procedures encourage the bribing of civil servants charged with overseeing regulations to speed up legal procedures, and such practices are reportedly common. Thailand´s Anti-Corruption Strategy 2010, released by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), describes the judicial system as weak and continuously manipulated by influential people, such as the Thai mafia and politicians.

The Human Rights Report 2013 notes that the government provides free legal advice to the poor; however, the aid was intermittent and of low quality. In addition, there were NGO reports of instances where legal aid lawyers forced their clients to pay extra fees directly to them. According to human rights groups, the lack of progress in several high-profile cases involving alleged police and military abuse have diminished the public's trust in the justice system. Nevertheless, less than one fifth of respondents in the Global Corruption Barometer 2013 felt that the judiciary was corrupt/extremely corrupt.

Business Corruption

According to the Investment Climate Statement 2013, Thailand's judiciary enforces property and contract rights effectively. However, it should be mentioned that the legal process is very lengthy. Similarly, the Index of Economic Freedom 2014 notes that the judiciary generally enforces property and contractual rights but that it is vulnerable to political interference. On a positive note, enforcement of bankruptcy judgments has been eased and streamlined since 2004.

Litigants sometimes influence judgments through extra-legal means, including bribes. The Human Rights Report 2013states that even though the judiciary is generally considered independent, it is subject to corruption and outside influences. Companies need to be aware that decisions by foreign courts are not recognised in Thai courts and thus cannot be enforced. Therefore, disputes that need to be settled in court and recognised in Thailand have to go through the Thai justice system.

Political Corruption

Corruption and self-interested behaviour is found throughout the political and judicial systems. This is supported by theHuman Rights Report 2012, which reports that the judicial system lacks progress in tackling high-profile cases, such as police and military abuse of power. In addition, the Transformation Index 2012 also states that the judiciary is corrupt to a certain extent. On a positive note, according to Freedom in the World 2013, with the new Constitution of 2007, judicial independence is guaranteed and the independent Constitutional Court has been re-established.

Frequency

The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2014:

- On average, enforcing a commercial contract involves 36 procedures and takes 440 days at a cost of 15% of the contract value.

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014:

- Business executives give the independence of the judiciary from influences of members of government, citizens or companies a score of 3.8 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'heavily influenced' and 7 'entirely independent').

- Business executives give the efficiency of the legal framework for private companies to settle disputes and challenge the legality of government actions and/or regulations a score of 3.9 and 3.5, respectively, on a 7-point scale (1 being 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'highly efficient').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2013:

- Citizens perceive the judicial system to be somewhat corrupt, giving it a score of 2.5 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

- 18% of households surveyed believe the judiciary is either 'corrupt' or 'extremely corrupt'.

[stevenl]

That's an enormous photo Stuarty! Screwed up my browser display completely!!

Totally agree.

[stuarty]

Upgrade to a better browser

[TTom911]

Well write home about it as that certainly is what you're supposed to do. So far I see no big fish frying, only harassment of low income workers. As I've said before I do hope I'm wrong about the Junta, because if I'm right, it will lead to a very very bad situation.

I think, to date, the Mayor of Karon has been the biggest fish to go into the fry pan. It will be interesting to see just how "cooked" he gets.

If one is arrested, the next step is ensuring that both the prosecutors office, and the judiciary are clean. That is often not the case here. Here are some excerpts from international organization on the Thai judiciary. It appears to be highly compromised. How do you fix the system without addressing this?

Individual Corruption

According to the Human Rights Report 2013, the judiciary is subject to corruption. Thailand's judicial system functions at a very slow pace: Drawn-out procedures encourage the bribing of civil servants charged with overseeing regulations to speed up legal procedures, and such practices are reportedly common. Thailand´s Anti-Corruption Strategy 2010, released by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), describes the judicial system as weak and continuously manipulated by influential people, such as the Thai mafia and politicians.

The Human Rights Report 2013 notes that the government provides free legal advice to the poor; however, the aid was intermittent and of low quality. In addition, there were NGO reports of instances where legal aid lawyers forced their clients to pay extra fees directly to them. According to human rights groups, the lack of progress in several high-profile cases involving alleged police and military abuse have diminished the public's trust in the justice system. Nevertheless, less than one fifth of respondents in the Global Corruption Barometer 2013 felt that the judiciary was corrupt/extremely corrupt.

Business Corruption

According to the Investment Climate Statement 2013, Thailand's judiciary enforces property and contract rights effectively. However, it should be mentioned that the legal process is very lengthy. Similarly, the Index of Economic Freedom 2014 notes that the judiciary generally enforces property and contractual rights but that it is vulnerable to political interference. On a positive note, enforcement of bankruptcy judgments has been eased and streamlined since 2004.

Litigants sometimes influence judgments through extra-legal means, including bribes. The Human Rights Report 2013states that even though the judiciary is generally considered independent, it is subject to corruption and outside influences. Companies need to be aware that decisions by foreign courts are not recognised in Thai courts and thus cannot be enforced. Therefore, disputes that need to be settled in court and recognised in Thailand have to go through the Thai justice system.

Political Corruption

Corruption and self-interested behaviour is found throughout the political and judicial systems. This is supported by theHuman Rights Report 2012, which reports that the judicial system lacks progress in tackling high-profile cases, such as police and military abuse of power. In addition, the Transformation Index 2012 also states that the judiciary is corrupt to a certain extent. On a positive note, according to Freedom in the World 2013, with the new Constitution of 2007, judicial independence is guaranteed and the independent Constitutional Court has been re-established.

Frequency

The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2014:

- On average, enforcing a commercial contract involves 36 procedures and takes 440 days at a cost of 15% of the contract value.

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014:

- Business executives give the independence of the judiciary from influences of members of government, citizens or companies a score of 3.8 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'heavily influenced' and 7 'entirely independent').

- Business executives give the efficiency of the legal framework for private companies to settle disputes and challenge the legality of government actions and/or regulations a score of 3.9 and 3.5, respectively, on a 7-point scale (1 being 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'highly efficient').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2013:

- Citizens perceive the judicial system to be somewhat corrupt, giving it a score of 2.5 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

- 18% of households surveyed believe the judiciary is either 'corrupt' or 'extremely corrupt'.

Well, that summarizes what we/Thailand are up against.... a task ("cleansing the system") of absolutely gigantic proportions which would require a hero of Mandela stature to succeed... It get's scary when you start thinking of the full picture... This is not going to be a walk in the park... GOOD LUCK (honestly)...

[keestha]

That's an enormous photo Stuarty! Screwed up my browser display completely!!

Totally agree.

Chrome can handle it.....but Stuarty should have resized less generously

[Incobart]

You are cheering the Junta on, but from where I am sitting I just see the poor people wiped out.

Read the article, they say ALL of the beaches are now cleaned (this being the last) including Nai thon and Nai Yang.

Perhaps you don't even live in Thailand, but if you do take a drive to Nai Thon beach and have a look. The poor punters have been cleared off the beach, but the rich (bangkok owned) mega resorts are untouched. Have a look at the Pullman resort at the North end of the beach, they are trading on with total impunity, in fact they are still carrying further building works as I type. Have a look at the environmental disaster at the southern end of the beach on the mountainside, where just a few months back a half dozen bulldozers and hundreds of Burmese day labourers showed up and clear felled a whole mountainside of National Park...and NO ONE stopped them. Now on that same mountainside there is a collection of shockingly substandard cement structure which breach both the local height codes and slope codes. You will also notice that they have accelerated their building activity in the last few weeks. Oh and lets not forget White haven beach that tuned a public beach into a private enclave, or Trisara that did the same.

And that is just Nai Thon.

Perhaps Simon43 would like to chime in here to give his opinion about whether all of the illegal structures are now completely cleared from Nai Yang...

Believe me my friend , these people that like to look poor earn more than 100.000 / month and its not because people are poor they should allow them to open a shop on nature land and run business with no tax

Edited July 25, 2014 by Incobart

[amse]

The fact is their not suppose to have these structures on the beach area, and were probably given phoney contracts by corrupt politicians. But the law is the law eventhough the local politicians aren't following it. Stop crying about the low wage workers, its not about them, it's about cleaning up Thailand to be a more respectable place.

[stevenl]

That's an enormous photo Stuarty! Screwed up my browser display completely!!

Totally agree.

Chrome can handle it.....but Stuarty should have resized less generously

But completely distords the photo.

I'm sorry, a photo of this size is just way, way overdone. Just make it a thumbnail and let people click to enlarge f they like to see larger.

[stevenl]

Upgrade to a better browser

I use Firefox and Chrome, both make a mess of this thread because of your photo.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

You are cheering the Junta on, but from where I am sitting I just see the poor people wiped out.

Read the article, they say ALL of the beaches are now cleaned (this being the last) including Nai thon and Nai Yang.

Perhaps you don't even live in Thailand, but if you do take a drive to Nai Thon beach and have a look. The poor punters have been cleared off the beach, but the rich (bangkok owned) mega resorts are untouched. Have a look at the Pullman resort at the North end of the beach, they are trading on with total impunity, in fact they are still carrying further building works as I type. Have a look at the environmental disaster at the southern end of the beach on the mountainside, where just a few months back a half dozen bulldozers and hundreds of Burmese day labourers showed up and clear felled a whole mountainside of National Park...and NO ONE stopped them. Now on that same mountainside there is a collection of shockingly substandard cement structure which breach both the local height codes and slope codes. You will also notice that they have accelerated their building activity in the last few weeks. Oh and lets not forget White haven beach that tuned a public beach into a private enclave, or Trisara that did the same.

And that is just Nai Thon.

Perhaps Simon43 would like to chime in here to give his opinion about whether all of the illegal structures are now completely cleared from Nai Yang...

Believe me my friend , these people that like to look poor earn more than 100.000 / month and its not because people are poor they should allow them to open a shop on nature land and run business with no tax

Sigh... I am sooooo tired of reading posts from numpties who know nothing of Phuket or of the real facts.

Lets take Max, the young Thai lad who built up the Go Surfing Clubhouse at Kamala that comprised of a bamboo bar, and a rack with a few surfboards for rent. Max lost his immediate family in the Tsunami. He managed to struggle on alone working as a beach boy and built a small (and low environmental impact) business on the beach. His high season is right now, the monsoon low season as that is the only time there are waves at Kamala. However, right at the start of his high season, the Junta arrived and a week later tore down his business and home. No time for forward planning, job transition, or relocation. Max lost everything, his business, his home, even his identity.

Max's story is just one of many other similar ones amongst the beach vendors, and yet the Bangkok owned illegal mega resorts such as the Pullman at the North end of Nai Thon are trading on with impunity. In fact they are currently working overtime on further additional construction.

With any big job or project, an effective manager will always tackle the most difficult tasks first. Here on Phuket that meant removing the big illegal developments such as Trisara, Pullam, Bliss etc. However, all that has been done so far is to tear down some bamboo and destroy the lives of the poor people. Perhaps it is just poor management on behalf of the Junta. Or perhaps it is more sinister. Rember, the Bangkok elite are now in control of Phuket.

If the Junta does not deal with the big (and rich) criminals that have major illegal developments along the west coast, they should expect civil unrest from the disenfranchised beachside vendors.

However, my guess is that it will be business as usual for the rich...and the poor will get poorer...

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bulldozer Dawn

[Crossy]

A link to a large image has been removed, not all browsers correctly scale large images, please think of others when posting.

Why not use the Attach File function which places a thumbnail on the post and links to the full sized image if clicked on?

[oldsailor35]

Just cannot wait for them to start on Samui. My partner used to have a very lucrative massage berth employing 6 genuine masseurs in front of a Cheong Mon resort. Although they have never owned the beach, the resort owner wife charged my partner Bht 27000 per month to be there. After she found out that my partner had done a customer deal with a neighbouring 5 star resort, the woman demanded Bht 37000 per mth. My partner just worked the month out and "pulled the plug" Now there are two diffrent operators there, both paying Bht30000 mth to someone who does not own the beach ! Also much rubbish around the site which neither of the 3 women will clean up. My partner, a uni educated lady from Suratthani, was always very particular about cleaning and tidyness. The present masseurs just don't see rubbish. Just hope that the Generals boys chase these litterers away and the resort lady finds herself Bht 60000 mth in the red.

[stevenl]

Just cannot wait for them to start on Samui. My partner used to have a very lucrative massage berth employing 6 genuine masseurs in front of a Cheong Mon resort. Although they have never owned the beach, the resort owner wife charged my partner Bht 27000 per month to be there. After she found out that my partner had done a customer deal with a neighbouring 5 star resort, the woman demanded Bht 37000 per mth. My partner just worked the month out and "pulled the plug" Now there are two diffrent operators there, both paying Bht30000 mth to someone who does not own the beach ! Also much rubbish around the site which neither of the 3 women will clean up. My partner, a uni educated lady from Suratthani, was always very particular about cleaning and tidyness. The present masseurs just don't see rubbish. Just hope that the Generals boys chase these litterers away and the resort lady finds herself Bht 60000 mth in the red.

But isn't it the resort lady that should find the army on its way, not the massage ladies?

[TTom911]

Just cannot wait for them to start on Samui. My partner used to have a very lucrative massage berth employing 6 genuine masseurs in front of a Cheong Mon resort. Although they have never owned the beach, the resort owner wife charged my partner Bht 27000 per month to be there. After she found out that my partner had done a customer deal with a neighbouring 5 star resort, the woman demanded Bht 37000 per mth. My partner just worked the month out and "pulled the plug" Now there are two diffrent operators there, both paying Bht30000 mth to someone who does not own the beach ! Also much rubbish around the site which neither of the 3 women will clean up. My partner, a uni educated lady from Suratthani, was always very particular about cleaning and tidyness. The present masseurs just don't see rubbish. Just hope that the Generals boys chase these litterers away and the resort lady finds herself Bht 60000 mth in the red.

I guess we agree: Those should be busted, BIG TIME

But, unfortunately that's what many Thai regard as "smart business", most would not even understand what we are bitching about, for them it's totally normal. And, if the circumstance would allow, they (I don't say "everyone", but almost everyone...) would do EXACTLY the same, if they could... It's just how things are done here...

Edited July 25, 2014 by TTom911