Beachside business caught red-handed with Pattaya city floats

Pattaya officials swooped in on a beachside entrepreneur’s operation, seizing floats that were allegedly repurposed from government property for commercial gain. Residents raised eyebrows at the brazen use of what appeared to be city-owned pontoons for private enterprise on Krating Lai Beach in north Pattaya.

The Deputy Mayor of Pattaya City, Manot Nongyai, spearheaded a team of city officials yesterday to investigate the matter firsthand. Their findings were alarming: 60 damaged and discarded pontoons were discovered piled up in the forest, with some even encroaching into private areas near the beach. This once-forested spot had become a makeshift venue for flea markets and food stalls, courtesy of a local businessman.

Boonchuay Bunkhuntot, owner of a nearby food and drink shop, defended the use of the floats, claiming they had been left neglected by the city for an extended period. According to him, the floats were ingeniously repurposed as makeshift chairs for market-goers to sit and enjoy their purchases.

Addressing public concerns, Manot assured that businesses utilising the floats wouldn’t face legal backlash, chalking the situation up to a mere misunderstanding over the use of government property, reported Pattaya Mail.

However, this revelation has sparked debates over accountability and the boundaries between public and private interests along Pattaya’s coastline.

In related news, Pattaya recently saw over 200 business owners on Jomtien Beach Road petitioning the deputy mayor to revoke a one-way traffic rule that had been put into place. This rule, implemented on March 1, pertains to a stretch of Jomtien Beach Road from Dongtan Curve to the Chaiyapruek Intersection.

The one-way traffic rule is one aspect of a larger project, which includes several undertakings: the laying of HDPE drainage pipes through roadside excavation, the installation of underground electrical systems, road resurfacing, and improvements in lighting.

In other news, a wave of public outcry has surged on the official Facebook page of Mayor Direct Line, as citizens express alarm over the abandoned cables strewn across various locations in Pattaya.