Police reveal how Phuket's public beaches were rented out - for billions

[webfact]

Police reveal how Phuket's public beaches were rented out - for billions
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Flashback to last high season: Tourists use sunbeds without realising the vast amounts of money swirling around the business.

PHUKET: -- The investigators of the illegal beach sunbed industry on Phuket have revealed details of the cases they have built against Mayor Thawee Thongchaem of Karon, who surrendered to police on June 4 in answer to a variety of corruption and ‘”mafia taxi” charges.

The revelations came at a press conference this afternoon (September 25) headed by Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen, Commissioner of Region 8, and his deputy, Pol Maj Gen Somchai Aomthanom.

Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, Commander of the Region 8 General Staff Division, who has led the investigation into Mr Thawee’s alleged activities, told The Phuket News yesterday (September 24), “Tomorrow about 15 sunbed operators will be summoned to the police station to be charged with trespassing on public land.

“We have collected evidence about the money involved in the renting out of beach space on Karon and Kata beaches. We have the documents.

“For example, one five-year contract for a 99-meter stretch of the beach cost B6.25 million. Another, for 80 meters of beach for three years cost B4.5 million. A third one, for a year, cost B1.69 million.”

All of these contracts, he said, related to the charges well-known hotels in the area had to pay to have rows of sunbeds on the beach.

The way it worked was this: The Karon Municipality would allocate a sunbed operator space in front of the resort. He would then go to the hotel and offer to reserve the sunbeds exclusively for the resort’s guests – for a fee.

CHEQUES FOR MILLIONS

The Phuket News was shown cheques for B3 million and B2.9 million made out to one sunbed operator, Visut Chankham, in 2010. Police erased the names of the resorts from the copies of the cheques and other documents.

We were also shown a “permit” signed by Mayor Thawee Thongcham of Karon Municipality, permitting Prayad Pakiem to set up sunbeds “on public beach in the Karon Municipality area”.

Another, also signed by Mayor Thawee, permitted Chanrit Thaweesaman of Karon to do the same at a Karon beach, and also to sell fruit and drinks on the beach. Police also produced an official license card signed by Thawee.

Gen Paween then also showed us an invoice from Charnrit to a large, well known resort, for the sum of B874,000 for one year’s sunbed service, and a cheque from the resort to Charnrit for the same amount.

More officials may be involved. Prayad’s permit mentions approval being given by “Phuket”.

The police also seized from Karon Municipality a map of Kata Beach clearly showing how the entire beach had been divided up, and naming the operators for each of the 31 slices, which run from the top of the beach to about halfway to the high tide line.

The map notes that the total length of the beach is 1,497.2 metres and the space for sunbeds takes up 1,087 metres of that length.

Similar maps for other beaches in the Karon Municipality area show 12 slices at Kata Noi, 25 at Karon 1 Beach, and 24 at Karon 2 Beach. All the maps are signed by Monthira Sapanin, a “Community Development Officer”

That’s a total of 92 sunbed operators on the four beaches, many of them in front of resorts.

Pol Maj Gen Paween said, “We will be issuing summonses to about 100 businessmen soon.” Mayor Thawee and two of his deputies, along with two Karon Municipality officials have denied any wrongdoing.

AN EXAMPLE AND A WARNING

At the press conference today a six-year-old case was offered as a warning to sunbed operators who have been clamouring to get back on the beach, even appealing to HM the King.

The case involved Yutthana Tamchu, a member of the Sunbed Operators’ Club in the Patong area. He was taken to court in September 2008 for trespassing on Tritrang Beach two years earlier, by setting out chairs, tables, sunbeds and umbrellas for rent.

In court, Yutthana was sentenced to six months in jail and fined B4,000. Because he had pleaded guilty, the sentence was halved to three months and B2,000, and the jail term was suspended for a year.

Meanwhile, in a parallel case in the Administrative Court, the Kathu District Officer, the Mayor of Patong and Patong Municipality were accused of giving permission to Yutthana to occupy public beach for profit, but that court dismissed their cases.

During his trial Yutthana admitted his guilt but complained that he had been singled out unfairly because other sunbed operators at Tritrang had not been arrested. The judge responded that this was irrelevant.

Yutthana’s sunbeds, umbrellas, and other furniture were seized when he was arrested. He asked the court for their return. The judge said no.

The overall focus of today’s press conference was on Mayor Thawee. Similar revelations about the situation in Patong may be expected soon.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/police-reveal-how-phukets-public-beaches-were-rented-out-for-billions-48879.php

-- Phuket News 2014-09-25

[eezergood]

House of cards coming down?

[Costas2008]

Now we have a clearer picture of the money these people claim to have contributed to the country.

As I said before, not even one Satang.

They all went to the pockets of the Mayor and his mafia colleagues.

Well done to the army for exposing another scum.

And commiserations to the people that don't like the present government.

[phuketrichard]

thats a hell of a lot of Baht!!!

[ttthailand]

Lets hope they have to pay back every baht to the government plus time in the monkey house...

[NomadJoe]

Hear that? That's the sound of any chance of sunbeds returning to Phuket beaches evaporating.

To see the extent they are taking this (not only kicking them out but now charging the beach chair operators with crimes) I think the jet ski guys aren't being ignored, I think they are just farther back in the que.

[dpeti73]

but the other side tourist need sun beds and umbrellas. so someone have to rent.

[Chris Lawrence]

Hey but what about a tax bill going to these people. Avioding tax should be 100% fine?

[merijn]

Long live the military.

[LivinginKata]

Really hope these people serve much jail time for public corruption and tax evasion.

[BMF1960]

Next stop, Pattaya and Jomtien? Any reason it would be any different on the eastern seaboard?

[eddie61]

Hua hin, pattaya, chaam, even in my little beach town 12 kms from pattaya.

It should be public property and any revenues in the public coffers.

The cash could be used for services to the local community.

Lets hope the boys in green (BIG) make it happen. How about cleaning up the BIB?

[IAMSOBAD]

All of Thailand is the HUB of BROWN BAG...UNDER THE TABLE CORRUPTION! There are more Mafia here than in the Godfather series of movies.

[SGD]

Really hope these people serve much jail time for public corruption and tax evasion.

My feeling exactly but few if any will ever set foot in a jail for a single day.

[ukrules]

Corruption through and through but I think we all knew this anyway, everybody did.

I wonder if the courts will strip the corrupt of all their assets - houses, gold, bank accounts, etc. It's all proceeds of crime.

Edited September 25, 2014 by ukrules

[mok199]

today in pattaya the police and military were measuring beach vendors spaces,the vendors were noticably ''pissed'' i was told the rows of chairs and umberellas which sometimes are 5 deep,will be reduced to (2) rows per section..as we know on high tide it is impossible to walk the beach as the vendors take up all the space....this is terrific news.....sawadee (love the crap)

[wade72]

but the other side tourist need sun beds and umbrellas. so someone have to rent.

Your right and you will see the sun beds again, if done right, the operators will be licensed by city hall and the money will go into public coffers, receipts issued with an auditor to check up on things.

If the money had gone into public coffers in the first place there would be no corruption charges at this point.

I am not up on Thai civic law however most municipal governments generally can issue permits, and charge for the permits, to operate businesses on public land when they can show it is in the publics interest.

[Utley]

Lets hope they have to pay back every baht to the government plus time in the monkey house...

The government? It was the resorts who had to pay the extortion who passed it on to the tourists via higher rates.

[AJBangkok]

It really is sickening. Based on the numbers for kata the mayor was taking 15 million per year and the leasees were probably charging the hotels double or triple that. I can't believe the hotels never complained unless they or the management were in on the scam. I would be interested to see if any of the leasees were connected to the hotels ( or the management of the hotels). It would be a nice way to siphon off funds from the hotel owners saying that we pay to keep our beach private etc.

[Deli]

Luckily I can bring my own sun bed, as sittin' in the sand SUCKS

[merijn]

but the other side tourist need sun beds and umbrellas. so someone have to rent.

Your right and you will see the sun beds again, if done right, the operators will be licensed by city hall and the money will go into public coffers, receipts issued with an auditor to check up on things.

If the money had gone into public coffers in the first place there would be no corruption charges at this point.

I am not up on Thai civic law however most municipal governments generally can issue permits, and charge for the permits, to operate businesses on public land when they can show it is in the publics interest.

This is the system they are trying to setup in Patong for the next high season.

A limited amount of beach vendors which will be licensed by the city hall with strict laws about the amount and price of the chairs.

[wade72]

today in pattaya the police and military were measuring beach vendors spaces,the vendors were noticably ''pissed'' i was told the rows of chairs and umberellas which sometimes are 5 deep,will be reduced to (2) rows per section..as we know on high tide it is impossible to walk the beach as the vendors take up all the space....this is terrific news.....sawadee (love the crap)

Yep agreed, one or two rows of umbrellas with plenty of space between the sets and you will make the beach look 1000 times better. Then get rid of the hawkers trying to sell me everything from giant bic lighters to candy floss every 3 f*cking seconds while I was trying to relax and I might actually go back...... which has only happened once in the 10 years I have lived here, due to the congestion and hawkers I head well away from Pattaya and Jomtien if I want to take the kids to the beach. More then happy to walk across a road and put in an order for what I want at a shop....

Edited September 25, 2014 by wade72

[Nuddy]

Haha We have been reading about the poor venders who cannot now work on the beach!

Now we see how much money is involved

How can it be that these poor people are even petitioning His Majesty.

These vendors are not poor. They are scammers.

Scammers need to be put in gaol.

Regards

[Thakkar]

a map of Kata Beach clearly showing how the entire beach had been divided up, and naming the operators for each of the 31 slices, which run from the top of the beach to about halfway to the high tide line.

The map notes that the total length of the beach is 1,497.2 metres and the space for sunbeds takes up 1,087 metres of that length

That shows some sophisticated organization. So, Take that! All you Thai-bashers who are always going on about how Thais are disorganized goofballs!

T

[johnlandy]

Lets hope they have to pay back every baht to the government plus time in the monkey house...

It will never happen. TIT

[Whistler]

"In court, Yutthana was sentenced to six months in jail and fined B4,000. Because he had pleaded guilty, the sentence was halved to three months and B2,000, and the jail term was suspended for a year."

It is a strange twist in the Thai legal systems that for many crimes there is a potential for long jail sentences, but the max fines are very low. 2k Baht is less than a day's income off a handful of sun beds.

Things won't really change until the consequences get a lot more severe. Will they actually start enforcing some of the jail terms instead of letting the wealthy get away with a few baht slap on the wrist? I'd expect it will always depend on who knows who.

It will be interesting to see if there are real consequences for these corrupt government officials, but I doubt any of the sun bed operators have much to worry about. Unless I'm misunderstanding they kept up their end of the contract with an official "representing" the government.

[tonypace02]

I don't have a problem with the people who worked the beach. They provided facilities and services to the benefit of the community. These services are often legally contracted by cities to private individuals at beach towns all over the world. The problem arose when the benefit failed to reach the community but was siphoned off by a crooked politician. How long will it be before the hotel managers pressure the governments to issue usage permits to private concerns to bring the beach chairs and umbrellas back?

Okay, burn Hizzoner the SOB. But how many tourists are going to sit on the hot sand under an unshaded and blazing hot tropical sun?

[Lostpack3t]

My understanding of Pattaya Beach is that the vendors are allocated a 15m x 15m stretch of beach space. Payment is made directly to City Hall under contract. There is no opportunity to exploit other businesses as is/was the situation in Phuket. What the operators did in Pattaya though was to simply take over all of the available beach space and establish semi permanent storage areas leaving equipment and chairs etc on the beach overnight. They were also operating beyond the contracted hours (6pm). There has been an improvement since the coup so I would expect with constant supervision (ok now im trying not to be cynical) Pattaya Beach will continue to improve.

Then again maybe not. Time will tell.

[wade72]

a map of Kata Beach clearly showing how the entire beach had been divided up, and naming the operators for each of the 31 slices, which run from the top of the beach to about halfway to the high tide line.

The map notes that the total length of the beach is 1,497.2 metres and the space for sunbeds takes up 1,087 metres of that length

That shows some sophisticated organization. So, Take that! All you Thai-bashers who are always going on about how Thais are disorganized goofballs!

T

I like that comment!!! I hear it all the time about the "disorganized, stupid thais who apparently don't know how to do anything right"..... I hear that almost as much as I hear about the "highly intelligent foreigner being scammed" by the "disorganized, stupid thais who apparently don't know how to do anything right"... interesting!

[inzman]

Nobody will have to pay back anything, nobody will go to jail. This is all publicity for the army. It will quietly slip away.