Koh Samui permits reviewed over suspected forged paperwork
Koh Samui City Municipality in Surat Thani is investigating suspected irregularities in construction permits after a municipal legal officer urged owners yesterday, March 21, to recheck their paperwork and report anything unusual, as officials move to identify those responsible.
Yesterday, Pallop Meepian, a legal officer at Koh Samui City Municipality, posted on social media asking owners of villas and other buildings to check their construction permits.
He urged anyone who finds irregularities or has doubts about the documents to contact the municipality without delay, saying officials had found cases involving forged government documents.
The post drew strong interest from island residents, many of whom voiced similar worries about whether buildings, particularly luxury villas owned by foreigners and commonly built on hillsides or higher ground, are structurally safe for people living in them.
Koh Samui City Mayor Ramnet Jaikwang later confirmed the issue is real. He said the municipality is now gathering evidence to pursue legal action against those involved and insisted that if evidence links any individual to the case, action will be taken strictly under the law.
Further checks by found that on January 20, a municipal civil servant previously filed a complaint with investigators at Koh Samui Police Station, alleging their signature had been forged and stating they had never authorised anyone to sign on their behalf.
A source said inspections have identified nearly 10 construction permits in Koh Samui District where the authorised person did not sign the documents themselves.
The documents were likely produced by lower-level officials who issued paperwork for business operators and allegedly demanded payments of around 100,000 baht per case, the source claimed.
The same source also suggested such conduct would be unlikely to occur without knowledge or involvement at a higher level and said there were indications of links to some personnel within the municipality’s executive administration.
DailyNews noted that during 2024 to 2025, a taskforce addressing state land encroachment and environmental damage worked with agencies including the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, the Office of the Ombudsman and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to jointly inspect construction, landholding and foreign-run business activity on the island.
Those checks reportedly found more than 100 buildings connected to unlawfully issued construction permits, including permits granted in restricted areas and permits that violated environmental laws.
Several cases are still under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and police.
Elsewhere, residents of Ban Khai district in Rayong are urging government officials to verify whether the owner of a local construction project possesses the necessary permits. Concerns were sparked after a Chinese language poster was seen at a construction site for a factory within their community.
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