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Surin's natural appeal remains even if the shorefront is less alluring

Future of Phuket's Surin Beach Remains Cloudy as Mayor's Plan Falters

Sunday, August 16, 2015
PHUKET: Ambitious plans to turn Phuket's five-star beachfront at Surin into a money-making facility for the local municipality have received a setback.

Cherng Talay Mayor Ma-Ann Samran recently set out his vision of what should happen at the Phuket beach in a letter to Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol.

The mayor believes that having the Cherng Talay Council in charge of the foreshore would be a progressive step towards restoring order.

However, Khun Veera told Phuketwan that the mayor's project was unlikely to succeed because the foreshore was public land and could not be used for profit-making, whether by private enterprise or by a local municipality.

''No law allows private businesses or a local municipality to derive financial benefit from a public area,'' Khun Veera said.

Thalang District approval would be the first hurdle in gaining permission for any major project at Surin beach. A project that gained Thalang's backing would then have to be approved by the Governor of Phuket.

Although one side of a long beachfront path has been cleared of illegal structures and sea vistas now make Surin even more appealing, private businesses continue to function all along the public foreshore at Surin beach.

According to sources, none of the surviving Surin premises are paying rent - because that would be illegal and probably bring the immediate arrest of those involved.

However, despite private profit-taking being involved, the remaining restaurants and beach clubs are enormously popular and give Surin beach its five-star flavor.

While there is understandable resentment about entrepreneurial profit-takers making money from public land, the undestroyed facilities give Surin an allure that would disappear if the military demolished all illegal structures, as has happened at other west coast beaches.

What's contradictory, though, is that while the future of the long row of businesses appears to still be up in the air more than 15 months after the military takeover, at least one large new beach club has been constructed at the southern end of the shorefront.

There are two segments to the existing buildings along the Surin foreshore, and both have a similar history.

After the 2004 tsunami, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation built some concrete shells in a row at the southern end of the foreshore to assist locals to recover from the disaster while the Cherng Talay council build similar concrete shells in a row at the northern end of the beach.

In the years that followed, the businesses established in those ''shells'' proved so lucrative that outsiders rapidly became involved and the businesses expanded.

Strangely, Surin beach was not impacted in a substantial way by the tsunami, which merely caressed some beaches and killed scores at others.

The takeover by the military in May last year led to the destruction of illegal buildings on public seafront land on Phuket, the clearance of commerce from all beaches and the wrecking of illegal structures on the seaward side of a path that runs the length of Surin beach.

However, the future of the ''shells'' on the landward side has yet to be declared - even though the most recent additions and renovations clearly involve large investments on the part of private businesses.

Whatever profits that are now being derived clearly have little impact in assisting tsunami victims.

Yet destruction of the restaurants and beach clubs would end the appeal of Surin beach to tourists and probably reduce Phuket's income stream.

Mayor Ma-Ann's suggestion to Thalang District for the future of Surin beach involved destroying both the ''shells'' at the southern and northern ends of Surin, or keeping them both.

The approach of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation and Thailand's military government to the future of Surin beach's private enterprises have yet to be made plain.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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So, do you, or do you not support making money from public lands?
You justify your support of banning the beach vendors because of it, yet, this article infers that you support the remaining restaurants and beach club. You can't have it both ways.

Posted by Sir Burr on August 16, 2015 14:00

Editor Comment:

Any comment that begins with ''So . . .'' comes from someone trying to impose their views on us. No thanks. What you read into what we write is entirely your business, Sir Burr.

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a--hole comment ED. He asked a valid question. You really are an a--hole

Posted by Richard Vickers on August 16, 2015 15:32

Editor Comment:

Your opinions are formed where the sun don't shine, Richard.

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The concrete shops were there years before the tsunami. All the restaurants on the beach side of the road were asked to move over and use the structures built for them. Things went from there.

I saw Pla from Pla seafood a few weeks ago in Nakhon Si and asked her what was going on and she said it was business as usual.

Posted by Arun Muruga on August 16, 2015 15:40

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I don't quite get why the local municipalities could not take care of touristic facilities on public beach land in a non-profit way, like in many other countries. Keep the best of both worlds and keep things regulated yet attractive for tourists (as a major and neessary source of income).The money made from it could be used to keep the beach areas clean, safe, well-kept and it could be invested in community projects. Certain (Thai) national parks also run things this way, with regulated tourist facilities, so why not the beaches? It seems that it is impossible for local authorities here to think beyond mere market forces and privatised profits... Creative, legal and sustainable solutions that balance legal issues, public interest and touristic attractiveness of the beach areas are badly needed before it's too late to act!

Posted by Lizzie on August 16, 2015 15:51

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I like to set some records straight!! I have lived in the Surin beach area since 1997. The structures on the south side of the beach was built 1998 to move makeshift beach kitchens off the beach and improve hygiene, each building had 2 kitchens. At the north side of the beach the larger kitchens were built 2004 before the Tsunami and partly damaged by the Tsunami, they were later completed.
Why would people who lost everything in the Tsunami want to stay at the beach, they were deathly scared of another Tsunami, it does not make sense and it is a incorrect statement used by the authorities to hide the fact that they built all the structures to provide food service facilities at the beach.

Posted by CL on August 16, 2015 16:49

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Sir Burr asked a relevant question.
He deserves an answer.

Posted by graham herdman on August 16, 2015 17:13

Editor Comment:

Commenters are free to ask questions. And we are free not to respond, graham. Those that begin with ''So . . . '' are never likely to get very far. Sir Burr was making a statement, not asking a question. Can't you tell the difference?

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Dear Editor,
He was asking you to clarify your position on the use of public land for commerce.
A fair question given the content of the article.
Hiding behind a "so " and showing hostlity towards me is childish, and transparent.
Why not just answer the question ?

Posted by graham herdman on August 16, 2015 17:47

Editor Comment:

Our views on the topic are well known.

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"Our views on the topic are well known."

Please clarify them.

Posted by Elephants Gerald on August 16, 2015 19:35

Editor Comment:

Always happy to answer a polite question. We support laws that prohibit all private enterprises in public space in Thailand - whether it be national parks or beaches. The law, however, does not prohibit people from bringing a picnic into a national park or a beach chair and umbrella onto a beach.

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Why not just answer the question ?
Posted by graham herdman

Because,graham, morisen is a gutless, lying, manipulating coward..he wont have a chance in hell when he is face to face with his multitudes of haters..many,many readers have nothing but contempt for this weak excuse for a man..Make good reading on the replacement blogsite when he gets his well deserved just desserts.....

Posted by Mal on August 16, 2015 19:37

Editor Comment:

You don't seem to have anything of value to add, Mal. That doesn't surprise us. You may be interested to note that after the September 1 verdict, we will be working to identify Thailand's despised expat trolls and to make sure that the gutless, lying, manipulating cowards are exposed - and exported.

Won't that be fun?

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Good call to Thai Navy to come back to Surin Beach and clear-off all illegal buildings the sooner the better.

Posted by WhistleBlower on August 16, 2015 19:50

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Alan,
I also think its time you received your well deserved just desserts. Do you prefer ice cream or fruit?

Posted by MoW on August 16, 2015 20:54

Editor Comment:

Nuts, give me nuts, please, as a topping. There are so many varieties here.

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(moderated)

Posted by Mal on August 16, 2015 22:01

Editor Comment:

We're grateful too Mal for the interest you've managed to generate in the PW case at Thai Visa. Who would have thought it possible? Nearly 1000 messages on your hate-thread . . . Well done! Thank you.

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Would be a funny way to use Thai computer crimes act. Bring the trolls to justice.

Posted by Lena on August 17, 2015 01:20

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That is fantastic thread on ThaiVisa, started in December 2013, promotes so well PW on that site!

MoW, did you get your paycheck from ThaiVisa or "garryjohns" for using your initials in the lucky post Nr.888?

I would jealous if you have got already yours, because mine, for mentioning of me, is still somewhere in transit.

There is also "andreandre" (PW: "annoandre") a squat position type that cleanse his innards right with index finger. It seem that he still has not seen his councillor, however I told him already long time ago to do so.

Posted by Sue on August 17, 2015 02:01

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Sue,
Any paycheck I receive has to be divided up soo much its not worthwhile chasing for such a small personal benefit.

Must be a different MoW as I am just an anonymous nobody and like it that way as you never know who may be searchiing the net for your information.

Having a family name of Milat, people are able to find out too much already..Ooops

Posted by MoW on August 17, 2015 07:38

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"According to sources, none of the surviving businesses are paying rent-because that would be illegal." Do you really think that none of these business pay rent? Really? They have always paid rent and will continue to pay rent until they are finally evicted or the buildings torn down. "...bring the immediate arrest of those involved"...Too funny! You can't be serious...You really think your source was telling you the truth? Their not paying rent? Oh boy...

Posted by Tim on August 17, 2015 09:50


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