Beach Cleanup Operation Begins In Phuket

 

 

PHUKET : -- Cleanup operation of illegally-built property on Nai Yarng beach in Phuket began yesterday with more than 100 naval personnel and police taking part in the demolition of concrete structures trespassing on the beach. 

 

The cleanup is part of the campaign of the military junta to return the beach to the people and clear the beach of influential people.

The Nai Yang beach has been encroached for over a decade with resorts, bars, restaurants being built on the beach which is in national park area.

The demolition encountered no resistance  though a handful of business owners refused to vacate the vicinity until authorities decided to file criminal charges for trespassing on public property against them.

Authorities used backhoes to pull down the illegal structures as their owners look on but did not resist.

This beach strip is occupied with a number of restaurants, shops and bars which are being razed to the ground after the 30 day eviction notice deadline which was issued last month.

A total of 13 of the 22 businesses were dismantled yesterday and authorities hope to completely clear the area within a month.

Two structures which are the abodes of local residents on the strip will however be untouched. This is in line with the NCPO’s policy that the underprivileged are exempted from eviction.

Authorities however will temporarily withhold clearing another five businesses from the area as the proprietors had filed suits against the local authorities.

Talarng district land officer  Mr Sitthichai Promchart  stated that some of the business owners had submitted the ownership papers as proof of their entitlement to their respective plots.

But authorities however clarified that the papers submitted turned out to be falsified and have been registered to another plot of land located elsewhere.

He said authorities have investigated the ownership papers which were submitted as proof of ownership and have verified without a doubt that this is indeed public property.

On cross checking the ownership registration numbers, it turned out that those numbers have been used in the land title issue for the Indigo Pearl Hotel which is located elsewhere, he said.

In the case of the two properties belonging to Mr Arun Paewpan who had filed suits against the authorities, he presented a court order issued by the Phuket Court to exempt his properties from being removed.

In respect of the order, authorities have decided to temporarily hold off dismantling the structures for the time being. The court order which was dated 25 September 2014 did not provide any details to the suit .

 “We have to respect the court’s order to exempt the two properties from being removed. This is however temporary. We will be requesting the Phuket Court to justify their decision of exempting these properties despite concrete proof that they are indeed located on public property,” one officer in charge of the removal said.

The Nai Yang beach front is a popular tourist destination and the problem of trespassing on public property is a long drawn out issue which received little attention until recently.

The blatant trespassing is alarming and a number of shops, restaurants, pubs and beer bars have mushroomed on this beach strip over the past decades to cater to tourists.

Phuket Island itself is a popular tourist destination and it is no wonder proprietors have made their attempt to grab a piece of this lucrative pie.