Half of resorts on Koh Tao face eviction

[oldsailor35]

So in London when the Duke of Wastemoreland sells whole swathes do of London to the Qataris do you call him and his 'firm' mafia? No you do not because he established his ownership in the past and is a white Englishman. Do Londoners benefit from this foreign ownership of Mayfair, Park Lane, Canary Wharf etc? No they don't. Do you complain about the despoiling of the New Forest and other London forests that are now urban areas. No you do not. So why is this an issue to you when Thais climb the wealth ladder? Because they have not been to university? Because they were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth? The business men and women of Kao Tao put Thailand on the map of world tourism. Good luck to them I say.

Why the concern about crappy London, that is their concern, ours is for thailand

[oldsailor35]

Payback time for Ms Nomsod and Mpn hopefully, your time is near gentlemen.

Dream on !

[MaxLee]

Good luck with this?

The people of influence are well connected there.

Yep, it could end DEADLY!!!!!

[GeckosDiving]

I say have the top brass of the government go in and look at every lease and ownership of land. Anyone that has a bullshit lease or ownership has the land taken from them, I don't care if the said they had it for 50 years they never got it legally no but but it was never their's legally in the first place. Like the old saying goes if it's too good to be true it usually is

[scorecard]

Which half?

The half owned by one family or the others?

Don't worry, the time has come for all of them to pay what is due for a long time.

Give some credit to this government for their efforts to clear this country from these vermin

Costas, could you give us an example in which the government has succeeded so far.

Anthony, ! ...Apparently, you are blind to al the examples of the past weeks/months ....

Nobody as blind as those who don't want to see...

[lildragon]

What ever happened to costas? Haven't seen him post in a long time.

Guess he ran out of excuses for his hero junta.

[ldiablo]

Originally posted on 16/04/2015.

Haven't heard anything since

[ParadiseLost]

Barely 10 per cent of buildings and plots have legal sanctions while most resorts do not have proper land lease agreements, department director general Chakkrit Parapanthakul said.

Perhaps the media could follow up on the Director Generals remarks?

Or is he now in an inactive post...

Or at the bottom of the Gulf...

[tuanku]

"He said the plots were designated for residential use for island settlers some 30 years ago. But a large number of plots had been subleased to resort operators, he said."

And there has been no-one for the last 30 years with the responsibility to make sure that illegal development didn't occur??? They just made the rules and walked away did they?

It would be nice to think that those in positions of responsibility would be held accountable for the current mess.

[Ks45672]

"He said the plots were designated for residential use for island settlers some 30 years ago. But a large number of plots had been subleased to resort operators, he said."

And there has been no-one for the last 30 years with the responsibility to make sure that illegal development didn't occur??? They just made the rules and walked away did they?

It would be nice to think that those in positions of responsibility would be held accountable for the current mess.

Whoever was responsible for it 30 years ago until now has probably already retired with millions in the bank

And the statue of limitations means it's too late to prosecute them now etc

All thai laws are designed to be abused, just not by foreigners....

[h90]

And did anything happen....or all just hot air?

[bangrak]

Costas, could you give us an example in which the government has succeeded so far.

Can you give us an example in which the ptp and trt governments ever succeeded ? (except int filling their own pockets)

30 baht healthcare?

Nope, was 'recuperated' from the Chuan Government which didn't get the time to implement it, to be (re-)'invented' by the great leader himself!

Hail Thaksin!

[bangrak]

Which half?

The half owned by one family or the others?

Don't worry, the time has come for all of them to pay what is due for a long time.

Give some credit to this government for their efforts to clear this country from these vermin

Bull feathers! Horse hockey! Suthep's son has scads of encroached land on Ko Samui, it is said by many Thais. No investigations there........why?

Take three guesses, and the first two don't count. And what about the government land that daddy gave his hi-so friends on Phuket. which was reserved for poor Thai farmers

These should be investigated too, indeed, as all other cases should be! Suthep and his kins should not be above the Law, nobody should, not even Thaksin and his family (just to name one, remember the Alpine scandal, built on temple land, seems they're still 'owning' it and nothing's going to be done about that any time soon...)! It's from all sides, 'Thaddeus', and that's what they have in common: they all are members of the same above-the-Law 'elite' club, that of power and greed, ...'the system' which is holding this whole country in its grip!

[bangrak]

sure lets have an election and get the very people that are behind all these illegal scams back in office so they can hide it from public view and intimidate anyone that doesn't like it with their mafia terrorist wing the redshirts and get rich while the rest of the country is in ruins.

some of you people need to waken up - I believe quite a few Thais are

The 'mafia terrorist wing' you refer to are the Thai electorate. The people of Thailand who voted for their elected leadership. Their chosen leadership. You calling them silly names does not change that fact. If they are a mafia they are a pretty big gang ranging from 15 million to 25 million. They are called adult voters: We have them in Europe too. If military coups made any contribution to stability, wealth, order and democracy then just one Coup d'etat would have been enough. If they work so well why have a dozen coups? Because they do not work to bring order or happiness or wealth or the rule of law. They just bring corruption and oppression and fear.

Well, the least I can say is that your avatar is fitting you as a glove, just an 'a' short before the last 'c' maybe... Oh boy! Your, several, 'contributions' on this topic do sound more rabid trotskist-leninist than open-minded democratic to me... Is red your favourite colour by any chance? Anyway, you're not a Thaksin fan, but...

Edited November 1, 2015 by bangrak

[VIPinthailand]

I support the junta. now I see less shops on side walks, less gogo, less bars, less traffic, less noise, ...

it s all good. it was time to clean this country.

[kannot]

and what happens to ALL the people in the chain who allowed this then???? oh yeah right NOTHING.......

[spidermike007]

The first place to start to correct this absolute legal sinkhole, is with the land office. They are the culprits. The multi millionaires in the land office, who have given fake title to these lease holders for all of these decades, should be given life imprisonment, or a long prison term, with massive fines totaling into the hundreds of millions of baht. Anything less is just a charade.

[HooHaa]

I'll believe it when I see it. Was once such a beautiful place and now it's the backpacker murder capital. ?

that is an asinine statement at best. when were you last on koh tao?

[cockatoowho]

Which half?

The half owned by one family or the others?

Don't worry, the time has come for all of them to pay what is due for a long time.

Give some credit to this government for their efforts to clear this country from these vermin

I may give them credit when I am convinced they have actually done something, won't hold my breath.

[cockatoowho]

he said he would consult relevant agencies before deciding whether to evict them. Thats Thai talk for - will check to see who I am dealing with before making a move.

[american12bthai]

Do government departments talk to each other? Just think of the ramifications of these closures. Tourism down, unemployment up, workers from other countries no longer have valid work permits, ferry companies lose revenue etc. Presumably perpetrators will also face heavy fine or imprisonment adding to state costs! I'm not against action but think plans need to be worked out carefully between relevant departments

actually most of them dont have brains to work with, thats why everyone in this country seems to do JOBS a 17yo can do. then they cry when they lose it. Its because THAIS love to SELL OUT.

Ill change my opinion for 2000 baht.

Ill go to your room for 2000 baht.

Ill buy a imitation bag for 2000 baht.

ill sell out my neighbor for 2000 baht.

When you sell out, you dont work on your personality. you dont gain experience, you LOSE VALUE. Your kids lose.

THis Island. and the mafia family there, their value is visible now. One day i wish to see the family under a bridge... and i will kick them lower.

[mojorison]

I support the junta. now I see less shops on side walks, less gogo, less bars, less traffic, less noise, ...

it s all good. it was time to clean this country.

You're blind?

[spidermike007]

Total and complete BS. Never heard such a mouthful of BS. The mafia are thieving, conniving, lying, murderous fools. I can think of one headman in particular. Sure they employ people. But so do a lot of honest folks, who are not sucking the blood of the island. Dark Tao is dark because of the insect families.

[mojorison]

Total and complete BS. Never heard such a mouthful of BS. The mafia are thieving, conniving, lying, murderous fools. I can think of one headman in particular. Sure they employ people. But so do a lot of honest folks, who are not sucking the blood of the island. Dark Tao is dark because of the insect families.

Interestingly enough, after decades of research, I have realized that the RTP are actually lazier than they are crooked. That is saying something!!! It might actually be their one redeeming feature. Posses have been formed to actually engage in citizen's arrests, because when confronted with tomes of evidence, the plod have not gotten out of bed to investigate and arrest. Quite remarkable behavior.

[seedy]

One Troll / Flaming post - and replies - hidden

[spidermike007]

Total and complete BS. Never heard such a mouthful of BS. The mafia are thieving, conniving, lying, murderous fools. I can think of one headman in particular. Sure they employ people. But so do a lot of honest folks, who are not sucking the blood of the island. Dark Tao is dark because of the insect families.

Interestingly enough, after decades of research, I have realized that the RTP are actually lazier than they are crooked. That is saying something!!! It might actually be their one redeeming feature. Posses have been formed to actually engage in citizen's arrests, because when confronted with tomes of evidence, the plod have not gotten out of bed to investigate and arrest. Quite remarkable behavior.

I wish I could agree. I do agree they are certainly lazy. But most are corrupt. The fault lies with the govt. for not paying or equipping them properly. It is a systemic issue. But most will accept payouts. Few engage in real law enforcement. And the govt. has very little interest in reform.

In regard to the original topic my guess would be that half the hotels on Dark Tao are owned by the five original crime (mafia) families. It would be an extraordinary favor to all, if they were evicted. It would never happen. Those families are completely, totally, irrevocably, and permanently above the law. All law. Including the local, and federal government, and especially the army. Maintaining the status quo is the M.O. of this administration.

[arunsakda]

The entire island and it's surrounding sea should be cleared. Minimum 39 years, as a wilderness park with only rangers and biologists allowed. Perhaps by 2054 corruption and mafias will be eliminated and then some kind of safe, eco-sustainable tourism could be allowed to develop.

[spidermike007]

I'll believe it when I see it. Was once such a beautiful place and now it's the backpacker murder capital. ?

that is an asinine statement at best. when were you last on koh tao?

I was there about a year ago, and have vowed to never return again. I do everything in my power to try to convince others not to visit, and not to support those five insect families that have destroyed a beautiful island with their criminal offspring, who are all above the law. Every law. Including the Army.

[PaPiPuPePo]

Well, with poor to no waste water management, a growing trash problem and an absolute BOOM in Diving tourism and related Dive schools over the last 10 yrs (400,000 visitors to Koh Tao this year) Thailand is facing a massive conservation challenge to preserve this natural treasure. If the sensitive coral reef is to be saved they're going to need to address uncontrolled growth as well as irresponsible diving. It is my belief that the current situation is 100% unsustainable the way it stands today. Great new video on the negative effects inexperienced divers can have on Koh Tao reefs here: "Diver Impacts - The Unspoken Threat to Coral Reefs" https://player.vimeo.com/video/124386121

They dont have any unspoiled coral reefs left

I've only been diving there the last 3 years and have noticed coral degradation and drop in fish number in just that short time. Not good.

[spidermike007]

Well, with poor to no waste water management, a growing trash problem and an absolute BOOM in Diving tourism and related Dive schools over the last 10 yrs (400,000 visitors to Koh Tao this year) Thailand is facing a massive conservation challenge to preserve this natural treasure. If the sensitive coral reef is to be saved they're going to need to address uncontrolled growth as well as irresponsible diving. It is my belief that the current situation is 100% unsustainable the way it stands today. Great new video on the negative effects inexperienced divers can have on Koh Tao reefs here: "Diver Impacts - The Unspoken Threat to Coral Reefs" https://player.vimeo.com/video/124386121

They dont have any unspoiled coral reefs left

I've only been diving there the last 3 years and have noticed coral degradation and drop in fish number in just that short time. Not good.

I used to dive on Dark Tao a lot, many years ago. I wondered why the visibility was usually so poor. In the 30 or so dives I had there, the best visibility I ever had was 10 meters. I went to NW Bali to do some diving, and experienced what real diving is. A 200 foot wall, with visibility of 25 meters or more. Amazing diversity of fish, coral, etc. I will never dive in the gulf again. The quality of the diving in the Gulf is so fabulously inferior, it is not worth the effort. I would encourage anyone interested in diving, to avoid the Gulf entirely. The Andaman blows away the Gulf, on all levels.