Phuket beach club to be demolished

PHUKET: The owners of five businesses at Nai Yang Beach have been given just 11 days to pull down their buildings – or else have the might of a military-backed demolition team do it for them.

Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak issued the deadline at a meeting on Thursday, when he explained that the Court of Appeal had dismissed the owners’ attempts to preserve their place on the sands.

“Sakoo OrBorTor [Tambon Administration Organization] has clearly demonstrated that the buildings are on public land,” said Vice Governor Somkiet.

“The five owners appealed to the court for protection while their cases were heard in court, but their appeal has been dismissed.”

The five businesses, including The Beach Club restaurant and the Baan Bussaba Massage & Beauty salon, were targeted for demolition under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) beach cleanup campaign earlier this year.

The owners managed managed to wrangle a stay of execution from the Royal Thai Army earlier this month, when the military personnel arrived in force to demolish the buildings (story here).

However, that stay has since been repealed.

The Sakoo OrBorTor had also confirmed with the Office of the Council of State (click here) that the local authority has full rights to demolish the buildings now that the owners’ appeal has been dismissed, V/Gov Somkiet explained.

“This is not about picking on anyone. We do not want to create enemies. We live in the same country, we follow the same rules,” he said.

“On December 8, the Sakoo OrBorTor will take the leading role in the demolition [of the buildings] with full support from the police and the military.”

— Kritsada Mueanhawong