PHUKET: All of Phuket's famous west coast beaches face a ''Year Zero'' start all over again process that could see all businesses cleared from foreshores and all vendors banned from the sands, an emergency meeting of mayors and Phuket administrators heard today.

Most of the businesses on the edges of Patong, Kamala, Bang Tao and Surin beaches are constructed on nor sor lor titles, which cover public land and prohibit the use of the land for private profit.

Judging by what transpired at today's emergency meeting, which lasted two-and-a-half hours, the odds are that all beach clubs and foreshore restaurants at the west coast beaches are likely to be demolished.

Five-star Surin beach is the first beach to come under intense scrutiny by the the military coup command - enough to have the local Mayor Ma-Ann Samran say that he is genuinely scared.

Bangkok authorities are closely monitoring what is happening on Phuket's beachfronts, he said, with Army officers often questioning local officials and taking notes.

The mayors of Cherng Talay, Patong, Karon and Kamala's deputy mayor were ordered today to quickly produce historical data covering the nor sor lor titles that allow occupation only to the original individuals who were awarded the titles.

''I am wearing a shirt where all the buttons have been put in the wrong holes,'' Mayor Ma-Ann told the meeting. ''Please tell the Army that we want to get this right.

''Phuket Province should help us. I do not want to end up arrested like the Mayor of Karon [the meeting broke up laughing.]

''Please scope exactly what I should do. And ask the National Council for Peace and order to join our committee. Put them on our team. Otherwise, I am scared.''

Mayor Ma-Ann said that emergency money after the 2004 tsunami enabled the Phuket Provincial Administrative organisation to build some structures along the southern edge of Surin beach to help the local recovery, and the local Cherng Talay council did the same along the northern strip.

But once the original occupiers moved on, those titles became invalid, Mayor Ma-Ann said. The new occupiers continued to try to pay rent to the Cherng Talay council for the premises, but Mayor Ma-Ann said his predecessor realised the payments were corrupt and stopped taking the money.

Ironically, the five representatives at the meeting today from Karon have all been charged over alleged taxi-related extortion and intimidation.

But Karon moved its beach restaurants off the sand years ago and had never had a real problem with shorefront businesses.

Once the historical data has been provided by the west coast beach mayor, action is likely to be swift.

Vendors, loungers and umbrellas are already banned from Surin beach and it became plain today that kilometres of Patong beach will be declared a ''nature zone,'' too.

The Phuket Province lawyer and a senior prosecutor were present today and made the point that people who absorbed the original occupiers into companies to protect themselves from clearance would fail because the nor sor lor titles only cover one individual and deem that the public land must not be used for profit.

So the football stadium at Surin beach is probably safe, along with the Kamala Police Station. Both are on public land.