Navy ramps up push to demolish Phuket beach club

[webfact]

Navy ramps up push to demolish Phuket beach club

Nattha Thepbamrung

The Navy will ask why Karon Municipality has not yet demolished the illegal buildings at the Nui Bay Member Club.

PHUKET: -- A leading figure in the Royal Thai Navy squad that recently raided the Nui Bay Member Club will face off with Karon Municipality to ask why the club’s buildings are still standing.

The Navy most recently raided the club on May 21.

“I am going to Karon Municipality today [June 5] to see what the delay is,” Lt Sompop Khamkana of Navy’s Third Area Command at Cape Panwa told The Phuket News.

“They already have the authority to demolish them as it has already been established that they were built without a permit.”

Lt Sompop’s visit will pre-empt an official request by the Phuket branch of the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) to have Karon Municipality demolish the buildings.

“Phuket ALRO officers are compiling the request now,” Lt Sompop said.

Officers have confirmed that the club was built on public land, and part of the land has been found to have been acquired through an illegally issued NorSor 3 Gor land title, he added.

The NorSor 3 Gor was found to be based illegally on a “Flying SorKor1”, a basic land occupation paper that had been issued for an entirely different piece of land at nearby Kata Beach.

“The Supreme Court ruled the NorSor 3 Gor invalid in June last year,” Lt Sompop explained. “In March this year, the Phuket Land Office started the process to annul the paper.”

Any officials involved in the issuance of the illegal land title and the construction of the illegal buildings will face legal action, Lt Sompop assured.

“We are focusing on how to return the beach to the public as soon as possible,” he said. “But we have yet to determine whether the local municipality or another government office will be tasked with taking legal action against the club’s owners and any people who conspired with the business, including land officials.”

Which government agencies will be responsible for different aspects of the Nui Bay case will be determined at a meeting at the Navy base at Cape Panwa next week, he said.

Jakkapong Sawadtawee, the club staff member who tried escaping the first raid at the club on February 5 (click here), is now facing prosecution, Lt Sompop confirmed.

Mr Jakkapong attempted to flee the raid in his car. Navy men chased him down in their own car and forced him to stop. In his car, they found a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and equipment for smoking crystal meth (ya ice).

He has been charged under Section 92 of the Narcotics Act, which carries a penalty of up to one year in jail or a fine of up to B20,000, or both.

“He has also been charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm and for sisting arrest,” Lt Sompop said. Carrying an unlicensed firearm alone can incur a penalty of one to 10 years in jail, a fine of between B2,000 and B20,000, or both.

The club’s owner, Thana ‘Boy’ Chotpanang, is under investigation for allegedly threatening people with a firearm, he added.

The investigation follows local people filing a complaint with police that staff at the club had barred them from walking to the beach unless they paid a fee, and had fired shots to threaten them (click here).

During the Navy task force’s searches of the club, officers found a .40 calibre pistol that was later confirmed to be legally registered to Mr Thana, Lt Sompop explained.

“But the gun type matches with bullet casings we found in the area where people said they were threatened by gunfire. The police is handling this part,” he said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/navy-ramps-up-push-to-demolish-phuket-beach-club-52633.php


-- Phuket News 2015-06-05

[simon43]

Excuse me for shouting.

STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!!

DEMOLISH IT <deleted>!!!

[LivinginKata]

I am going to Karon Municipality today [June 5] to see what the delay is, Lt Sompop Khamkana of Navys Third Area Command at Cape Panwa told The Phuket News.

Because the Karon mayor is still receiving those brown letters.

[fester the benevolent]

Rome wasn't demolished in a day...

[steelepulse]

I am going to Karon Municipality today [June 5] to see what the delay is, Lt Sompop Khamkana of Navys Third Area Command at Cape Panwa told The Phuket News.

Because the Karon mayor is still receiving those brown letters.

Agreed. This corrupt guy is fighting corruption charges relating to him selling off the beach in sections, so he needs every baht to pay his lawyers while he continues to milk his position.

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

[Oziex1]

These are the cases that require the 700 soldiers or the 200 police to raid. As they have with nightclubs that stay open too late in Bangkok and other places.

[MockingJay]

Money talks, bull_s_hit walks...

[williet98248]

I wish Lt Sompop would take a look at the ramshackle bars and clubs proliferating just the outside of the guard rails on the road from Kata Noi south to the overlook viewpoint. These are being built on the one or two meters of level ground before the cliff falls off to the land below. How can these possibly be legal businesses? No running water, no electricity, no toilets and if you make a misstep you will end up on the flatland 200 feet below. But probably the biggest problem is that patrons must park on the roadway creating problems for traffic on the road. Wouldn't surprise me if the rather large permanently built bars and restaurants further up the road are illegal as well. They also cause traffic problems as no parking.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Good! Demolish it and sentence these mafia operators to jail for years.

[grumpyoldman]

Good for the Navy, send this guy down the road, these are the worst of people here in Phuket.

[fareastguy]

Quote:

“The Supreme Court ruled the NorSor 3 Gor invalid in June last year,” Lt Sompop explained. “In March this year, the Phuket Land Office started the process to annul the paper.”

A whole year & nothing has happened !!

Something smells fishy.. & I'm talking more than "Nam Plaa"

[NickJ]

Were waiting to have the whole matter forgotten. ......That way we dont have to rebuild it later. After this coup but before the next one.

[stevenl]

I wish Lt Sompop would take a look at the ramshackle bars and clubs proliferating just the outside of the guard rails on the road from Kata Noi south to the overlook viewpoint. These are being built on the one or two meters of level ground before the cliff falls off to the land below. How can these possibly be legal businesses? No running water, no electricity, no toilets and if you make a misstep you will end up on the flatland 200 feet below. But probably the biggest problem is that patrons must park on the roadway creating problems for traffic on the road. Wouldn't surprise me if the rather large permanently built bars and restaurants further up the road are illegal as well. They also cause traffic problems as no parking.

I remember a question about those being legal in PG Issues and Answers. If I recall correctly the answer was: please send us the complete address so we can check their legality. Since they won't have an address their legality can not be checked by Karon municipality and they're in the clear.

Only the Navy can end that.

Edited June 6, 2015 by stevenl

[2fishin2]

Same reason they dont deal with PARADISE BEACH. The military wont even go there

[Peterphuket]

already some years back, but I remember that time we try to visit that beach so too, we are threatened and mistreated, unbelievable bad people, there you can really find the scum from Phuket.

[dotpoom]

I am going to Karon Municipality today [June 5] to see what the delay is, Lt Sompop Khamkana of Navys Third Area Command at Cape Panwa told The Phuket News.

Because the Karon mayor is still receiving those brown letters.

I think you mean envelopes.

[connda]

I, a mere farang, can even answer this one: Patronage system!

Whomever owns the club has 'friends-in-high-places' who has more clout than the local Navy commanders.

[wabothai]

Same reason they dont deal with PARADISE BEACH. The military wont even go there

Same reason they dont deal with PARADISE BEACH. The military wont even go there

wait untill they anchor a cruiser nearby., and fire a few blanks.

[stevenl]

I, a mere farang, can even answer this one: Patronage system!

Whomever owns the club has 'friends-in-high-places' who has more clout than the local Navy commanders.

No, don't think so. It will be removed.

The military is the boss, but some people can't accept that yet.

[lvr181]

Target practice for the Navy? Less labour intensive.

[NamKangMan]

Rome wasn't demolished in a day...

No, but Lt Sompop Khamkana of Navy’s Third Area Command continues to fiddle, as Phuket burns.

[NamKangMan]

I, a mere farang, can even answer this one: Patronage system!

Whomever owns the club has 'friends-in-high-places' who has more clout than the local Navy commanders.

No, don't think so. It will be removed.

The military is the boss, but some people can't accept that yet.

The military has been in control of Thailand for over 1 year.

So why are these establishments still operating????

[cookee68]

What do you mean you don't know why it is not down yet, the same reason why it was up in the first place. MONEY

[stevenl]

I, a mere farang, can even answer this one: Patronage system!

Whomever owns the club has 'friends-in-high-places' who has more clout than the local Navy commanders.

No, don't think so. It will be removed.

The military is the boss, but some people can't accept that yet.

The military has been in control of Thailand for over 1 year.

So why are these establishments still operating????

They could demolish themselves, but they have to get the local government involved.

[Acharn]

Quote:

“The Supreme Court ruled the NorSor 3 Gor invalid in June last year,” Lt Sompop explained. “In March this year, the Phuket Land Office started the process to annul the paper.”

A whole year & nothing has happened !!

Something smells fishy.. & I'm talking more than "Nam Plaa"

Yes, I would like to see an explanation of why some of these processes take so long. There are sometimes legal reasons. For example, the law may require at some point that the process be approved by a committee, which only meets for fifteen minutes at a time once every three months and has a long list of pending actions to be considered. Or maybe at certain stages the holder of the disputed title may be given a period of time in which to make a response. The whole land registration process has been a mess because of political decisions by King Chulalongkorn when he was struggling with the entrenched nobility, especially in the North (former Kingdom of Lanna). Then the Forestry Department declared large swaths of the country to be forest area without regard to whether there were either trees or people there.

Anyway, courts and their orders often seem to have little power. There was a department store in Bangkok that eventually collapsed because the owners built additional stories above the original approved building. The courts in that case repeatedly ordered the additional floors to be demolished for fifteen or twenty years and it was never done.

[Acharn]

I, a mere farang, can even answer this one: Patronage system!

Whomever owns the club has 'friends-in-high-places' who has more clout than the local Navy commanders.

No, don't think so. It will be removed.

The military is the boss, but some people can't accept that yet.

The military has been in control of Thailand for over 1 year.

So why are these establishments still operating????

They could demolish themselves, but they have to get the local government involved.

Hmmm. Interesting point. Does the Navy have the equivalent of American SeaBees? For non-Americans that is Construction Battalions. In the Army they're called Combat Engineers. Their military mission is to build or demolish fortifications as the Marines advance, but they are also famous for helping the displaced local civilian populations. Anyway, does the Royal Thai Navy have such specialists? This would be a great opportunity for them to practice their skills. Or invite EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) trainees from the Army and Air Force to come practice their skills at blowing up buildings. Lots of possibilities here, but will we ever hear about the outcome of this meeting?

Edited June 7, 2015 by Acharn

[Oziex1]

When (if) this gets demolished I hope the building rubble is removed, to keep in line with a recent news item about a new commitment to rubbish (trash) removal.

Unlike what i witnessed in Phuket last year when the demolition sites were simply turned into rubbish dumps as were the surrounding areas, any vacant land was a considered a place to dump building rubble and crap.

Remarkable how differently we see things.