Patong parking complaints spark military blitz

PHUKET: Officers from the Region 4 Army Headquarters in Phuket visited Patong Beach last week to address complaints about the bike rental management system, particularly the decades-old problem of theft of space from the public.

Vendors and locals in the area said that the beach looked disorganized as dozens of rental bikes were parked chaotically and illegally along the road.

Among those present were officials from Army Region 4, police, navy, Patong Municipality and others.

“At the moment, it has been taken care of and the beach road is organized again. However, we will keep an eye on this in the future to ensure that rental vehicles are not being parked in unauthorized spaces,” said Army Region 4 Deputy Commander Pornsak Poonsawat.

“We will also continue to work with local authorities to ensure that public land and beaches are being managed effectively,” Maj Gen Pornsak added.

— Kongleaphy Keam