So let's hope they will take care of the nicest pothole collection I have ever seen in my life :-)

Posted by Fritz Pinguin on December 24, 2009 10:05

I am relieved to know that Phuket does have a compulsory purchase system in place.

Hopefully it will be applied to fix the incomprehensible situation in Patong between Banzaan Market and Nanai Road, where an incomplete building (work stalled for several years) juts out into the street, narrowing the road to single lane.

Buy the land, tear that sucker down, and remove the senseless traffic clot.

Posted by D on December 24, 2009 10:42

I'm not sure there is a compulsory purchase law in Thailand.
If there was, why did a small patch of road on Viset road in Rawai not get bought straight away. The owner held out for a couple of years before he was persuaded to sell.

Posted by Sir Burr on December 24, 2009 14:21

I wonder if there's a law prohibiting the government from profiting from these forced land sales? While I support the idea of forcing land sales for the public good, I also recognize the enormous temptation if the gooberment is able to buy up valuable land cheaply and later able to sell it off at normal prices. Case in point: I heard that Thaksin was in the process of buying land above 80m above sea level (where building is currently prohibited), with the intention of later changing the law and selling off those lands.
Editor: First we've heard about Thaksin, who may well be accused of much that he has no involvement in.

Posted by the blind leading the blind on December 26, 2009 07:04

Why not flatten all Patong and start again?

Posted by Jo Kerr on December 28, 2009 13:41