Bang Tao beach vendors face eviction

BANG TAO: People operating 48 businesses on Bang Tao Beach have been given until Friday to vacate the beach – or face having their premises demolished.

At a meeting at Provincial Hall last Friday, Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Nivit Aroonrat told beach stall vendors that they must move out because the provincial government wants to clean up the area.

He said the vendors will be provided with a new site, though he admitted that a suitable new locale had yet to be identified. Palad Nivit called on the local community to help find a solution, and to understand what the government is trying to achieve.

“If anybody wants to help, please let us know. We promise to find the best place for all of you [vendors], and you will be a priority for us. If you find a place that is not public land or beach area, please let us know,” Palad Nivit said.

“We – both the government and the people – should come to a compromise. If not, many problems will arise,” he added.

However, Palad Nivit was firm about the decision. “The beach is public land,” he said, “and it is illegal to set up stalls there – they must be moved.”

At least one vendor was not convinced of the government’s goodwill. He urged Palad Nivit to leave the businesses where they are – on the beach – until a new site has been found. He added that the vendors did not fully trust the government to let them set up somewhere else nearby.

As a compromise, the vendor suggested that stall operators bring their goods to the beach every morning and take them away again every evening.

A posse of officials – including the Thalang District Chief, the Chief of the Provincial Land Office, the Vice-President of the Cherng Talay Municipality, the Cherng Talay Village Chief and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) councilors for Thalang – will inspect the beach today, before Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura makes his own inspection tomorrow.