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Mixed reviews: an upset restaurant ''owner'' near Centara Grand today

Phuket Beaches Besieged as Governor Leads Removal of Restaurants

Sunday, September 18, 2011
Updating Report, News Analysis, Photo Album

PHUKET: Phuket police and Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha joined other officers to remove restaurants from Karon beach today in a predawn raid that involved scores of people and machinery.

Later Governor Tri told Phuketwan on the beach that similar action will follow at Bang Tao and Surin.

His comment came after the owner of one restaurant, who has been operating on the beach at Karon for 25 years, cried ''Unfair'' and asked why his and other restaurants had been targetted when other beaches still have restaurants on them.

The exercise in removing the restaurants today was led by Phuket Police Commander Major General Pekad Tantipong.

To have Phuket's Governor and other senior authorities there indicates the extremely high level of concern. Phuketwan understands it was the first time a particular law governing this situation had been used on Phuket.

''I don't know why they choose to operate and close us like this,'' said Khun Daeng, ''owner'' of the oldest of the restaurants.

His brother Lek, who has the largest of the restaurants, said he had been tipped off by a friend in Bangkok last night that the raid was going to take place at dawn.

The three restaurants - run by three brothers - formed a pod on the sand in front of the five-star Centara Grand Resort, which opened last year.

Governor Tri added that complaints had been made to the Interior Ministry about the Karon beach restaurants.

Tourists from Centara Grand looked on today as the restaurants disappeared. ''I will miss the waitresses at Lek's,'' one woman visitor said. ''The food and the prices were good, too.''

Today's raid brings into sharp focus the issue of beach encroachment and lack of consistent enforcement over decades.

The three brothers, Lek, Daeng and Dam Pongkratin, were escorted to the Chalong police station to have detailed statements taken.

A family friend said they had been told they would have to pay the 100,000 baht cost of today's operation. The concrete toilet and a separate kitchen in a concrete building were demolished today.

Phuketwan has been calling for a single authority to save all of Phuket's beaches from encroachment and environmental damage.

The issue reared again earlier this week with an aborted raid on the Pla Seafood restaurant at Surin beach, where one authority came prepared to remove chairs, tables, palm trees and barriers on the beach.

Another local authority interceded and the restaurant was allowed to continue to operate.

Once restaurants are allowed to operate for any length of time on a Phuket beach, it becomes more difficult to remove them - unless, like Khun Daeng on Karon beach, they have not made special arrangements with local authorities.

The issue of encroachment and lack of consistent application of present laws has led to illegal restaurants becoming a feature at popular beaches virtually all along Phuket's holiday west coast.

Central to the dilemma is that some people see public beaches as owned by everyone and as such anyone can start a business there.

Environmentalists look at it differently, making the point that Phuket beaches are certainly for everyone - but they will only remain for everyone if kept in their natural state, free from commercial enterprises.

The quandary is that while most western tourists understand the issue and want the environment protected, many of them also enjoy the pleasure of eating on a beautiful beach. They can't have it both ways.

And the money? The money, of course, all goes to the largest or most successful of the restaurants, and their supporters.
Phuket Beach Restaurant Dispute Sets the Surin Sand Flying
UPDATE Officials from one local authority have tried to remove a restaurant from a popular Phuket beach while officials from another authority apparently can explain how it came to be there.
Phuket Beach Restaurant Dispute Sets the Surin Sand Flying

Phuket Officials Promise 'Fairness' in Beach Battle
Latest A dispute involving two beach restaurants outside a big new resort has attracted more interest from senior officials, with one of the restaurateurs seeking a land ownership investigation.
Phuket Officials Promise 'Fairness' in Beach Battle

Planet Phuket: Save the Beaches from Bad Water, Greed and Self-Interest
Phuketwan Opinion Phuket's beaches will continue to disappear beneath restaurant tables, loungers, bad water and selfishness unless action is taken quickly.
Planet Phuket: Save the Beaches from Bad Water, Greed and Self-Interest

Comments

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Why only in front Centara? think...who owns Centara...one of the biggest, wealthiest and most influential business groups in Thailand. When they don't like something, they just apply a little pressure and whatever needed.

Posted by Henry on September 18, 2011 10:15

Editor Comment:

Hmmm . . . nice if your theory worked with local taxis and tuk-tuks. How come?

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It's well known that the Central group (Centara) have a bit more political clout on this island than others to get things done hastily.

A five-star resort with makeshift restaurants and disgusting shack toilet wasn't a good look for their prized jewel.

Posted by Glen on September 18, 2011 10:34

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Good job if the local (OrBorTor), provincial administration (OrBorJor) and police start to clean up Phuket beaches of all illegal businesses before the high season but that reinforcing of the law must be done in all types of tourism businesses to be fair to all Phuket residents, Thais and foreigners alike as such as:
- Hotel industry: Check on all illegal guest-houses, apartment services, house and rentals.
- Diving industry: Too many foreigners are working illegally without work-permit or with their own work-permits by setting-up ghost companies with proxy Thai nominees.
- Yachting industry: Many sailing and tour boats are not properly registered as transport boats and are for charter on many websites or through Phuket and international agents.
Travel agency industry: too many tour-counters and travel agencies are operated by illegal foreigners using ghost companies with proxy Thai nominees. Also many foreigners have set up website to sell tours in Phuket, PhangNga and Krabi with payment to oversea account through PayPal and are operated unadvertised from a private home-office in Phuket.
We may add illegal taxis, touts, and so on...the list is too long to publish it.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on September 18, 2011 11:31

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said illegal restaurants will quickly rebuild overnight before high season kicks into full gear.

Posted by JingJing on September 18, 2011 11:47

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Would be great if the same determination and enforcement was applied to the jet ski and tuk-tuk (with their so-called maximum fare) scams!

Posted by rfdunedin on September 18, 2011 12:24

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Don't pick on Centara on this!
Yes, it might well be true that there has been pressure from Bangkok on the local authorities to solve this illegal development problem on public beach in front of their resort.
However, we should all appreciate that someone finally starts to put pressure on our local authorities. It shows that laws can be enforced if there is enough pressure. I hope other people in higher positions will follow Centara on this and put pressure on our selfish authorities until major problems are solved.
It's again a step forward.

Posted by Mr. K on September 18, 2011 12:31

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Enforcing the law, hopefully they will do the same on all the beaches, gotta start somewhere!

Posted by coxo on September 18, 2011 12:52

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Looks like a good start, hope they will keep the spirit up and move on to other spots with illegal encroachment . The beaches belong to Thailand not to the local OrBorTor as far as I am aware so they cannot make any special agreements with anyone ...

Posted by Bjarne on September 18, 2011 14:34

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I agree with Coxo - they have to start somewhere. Lets hope that this gathers momentum and they really make a start on all illegal beach encroachment. The perpetrators are claiming 'everyone is doing it' as their defence. Time to change that to 'no one is doing it'.

It would also be nice if someone would have a look at the brand new taxi counter at the PowerBuy entrance to Central which has a fleet of wholly illegal 'black plate' taxis.

Posted by Mr Man on September 18, 2011 14:37

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What about the building rules on the beach, especially after the tsunami.

Posted by Stefan on September 18, 2011 14:52

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A good (and needed) start. Let's hope it continues.

Posted by Duncan on September 18, 2011 19:24

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Well done - thank you Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket police for taking action, and let's hope it's only the beginning. Frequenting the restaurants just off the beach is a pleasure.

However, these encroachments on the beach itself are destroying Phuket's natural beauty and ultimately destroying Phuket's appeal and economic mainstay.

Posted by Laura M on September 18, 2011 20:12

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Quote: "Environmentalists look at it differently, making the point that Phuket beaches are certainly for everyone - but they will only remain for everyone if kept in their natural state, free from commercial enterprises. " unquote.

FREE FROM COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES... what about all these resorts they're building on the beaches? Aren't they commercial enterprises too??? And these are doing much more damage to the environment than a few restaurants. Lek's has been the tourist's favorite there for more than 25 years; Centara moved in just last year. In my opinion LEK SHOULD STAY!! and Centara should be the one to go!!

But clearly, money is all-important here, and governors and other officials bend to the big money, at the cost of hard working small restaurant owners. SHAME on you, Phuket.
One more reason not to spend my vacation there any more.

Posted by Emma on September 19, 2011 06:09

Editor Comment:

Daeng has been operating on Karon beach for 25 years, he says. Brother Lek hasn't been there anywhere near that long. I suspect you will find Centara is legal. Beach restaurants are not.

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Finally someone taking responsibility at high levels - keep it on and next step hopefully to make the tuk tuk's prices more fair for our tourists and us even I never take one....

Posted by Charlie on September 20, 2011 22:24

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Heh Mr Governor why don't you lead the police against the Tuk Tuks

Posted by capt canada on October 5, 2011 21:57


Friday March 29, 2024
Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa

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