''An officer left the Orbortor (municipal council) premises at 10am to start handing out the letters,'' he told Phuketwan this afternoon.
Mayor Ma-Ann said that the letters call on ''vendors'' with constructions on the beach to remove them, because they are illegal.
If not removed voluntarily, the Cherng Talay Orbortor has the right to remove constructions, the letters said, according to Mayor Ma-Ann.
''If the removals are not carried out, the cases will be handed over to the Department of Special Investigation,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said.
''Even if the Orbortor constructed a building on the beach, that would be illegal,'' he added.
Obstructing the removal of illegal constructions would lead to intervention by the DSI, Mayor Ma-Ann said.
Restaurants have a long history on the beachfront at Surin and Phuket's first beach club appeared there five years ago. Several new beach clubs have been planned for this high season.
Some of the construction work is concrete, permanent and difficult to demolish.
Mayor Ma-Ann could not say today how many letters had been sent out, or whether there was a deadline in the wording in the letters.
At a meeting on August 5, Phuket Vice Governor Jamleran Tipayapongtada instructed the mayor to have the Surin beachfront cleared of businesses within 30 days.
''If you can't do it, tell me,'' the vice governor told Mayor Ma-Ann Samran and the Chief of Thalang District, Supot Chanakit. ''On August 9, the DSI will arrive and I will give all the information to them.''
Mayor Ma-Ann was not present at a second meeting on September 5 when the vice governor told officials: ''I want the beaches back for Phuket's people. You have until the end of this week or the DSI will investigate you.''
Businesses were still operating all along the Surin shorefront, the vice governor noted, directing his ire at Thalang's Khun Supot.
Khun Supot told the vice governor that he had sent letters out to 30 Surin beach businesses. The names of the businesses and the contents of the letter were not revealed.
A pathway that runs almost the entire length of the Surin beachfront is believed to delineate the border for permanent constructions.
Surin has become Phuket's best-known ''five-star beach,'' largely because of the upmarket resorts nearby.
A Bangkok entertainment group attempted to hold a two-day New Year's Eve beach party at Surin last year but after protests, the event moved to Patong.
It is always the same story've heard hundreds of times ... words, words, words .. as in Nai Harn beach about the new restaurant illegaly built on the left side.. It was on the newspaper that Orbortor gave demolition order a month ago giving 30 days .. well yesterday I went to see and the restaurant was always there with customers sitting at the tables .. no one ever does anything, nothing will change except for the worse ... yet enough trivially impose indefinite closure, but really there is no will to stop anyone...
Posted by dave on September 23, 2013 19:59
Editor Comment:
Don't believe what you read in newspapers, dave. But your ''nothing will ever change'' attitude is about as relevant as print. ''It's always the same story'' is what the people who wouldn't know always say. And if you've still got nothing positive to add, you're wasting our time - just like the people you're moaning about.