Koh Chang hotel ordered to demolish illegal concrete platform

The Thai authorities swiftly ordered the demolition of an unauthorised concrete platform that appeared on the pristine White Sand Beach on Koh Chang after residents filed complaints.

The discovery of the construction, which encroached into the sea in front of Koh Chang Grand View Hotel, led to a multi-agency investigation, revealing the absence of a permit for such a structure.

The concrete platform, towering over 5 metres high, approximately 5 to 6 metres wide, and more than 12 metres long, becomes submerged by 2 to 3 metres of water during high tide. The construction, suspected to have been built over six months ago due to the extensive marine life attached, was part of a larger issue involving multiple unauthorised access points to the sea created by nearby hotels.

On March 18, the district chief of Koh Chang, along with representatives from the Trat Harbor Office, the National Park of the Koh Chang Archipelago, and the Koh Chang Subdistrict Municipality, inspected with the hotel manager. The hotel manager admitted to the absence of construction permits from the Harbor Authority and that no related documents could be provided immediately. Consequently, the Trat Harbor Authority instructed the hotel owners to demolish the platform as quickly as possible.

The Mayor of Koh Chang Subdistrict Municipality disclosed that the hotel’s platform construction did not secure municipal approval and fell outside their jurisdiction, lying squarely with the Trat Harbor Office.

Similarly, the Head of the National Park of the Koh Chang Archipelago confirmed that the construction site was not within the national park boundaries but under the authority of the Trat Harbor Office. Without any permits from the Harbor Office, the hotel was ordered to remove the concrete platform promptly.

The Director of the Trat Harbor Office, Division 6, revealed that while the hotel manager claimed to possess land rights documents, they were requested to present evidence to determine the extent of their property and compliance with the law, reported KhaoSod.

The hotel was given a seven-day deadline to start the demolition, failing which the Harbor Authority would enforce the removal.