PHUKET: In a dramatic break with Phuket's beach rules, five-star Surin beach was today declared a ''zero-percent zone'' for commerce after a greedy restaurant manager tried to monopolise beach hirings and sales.
At the same time, Mayor Mas-Ann Samran announced that he has ordered power and water to Surin shorefront restaurants and beach clubs to be turned off, and will send in the wreckers to demolish the buildings in two weeks.
Today's meeting at Thalang Municipal Offices heard Mayor Ma-Ann declare that Surin would now be added to Nai Thon and Mai Khao as ''virgin'' beaches, free from umbrella and mat hiring and commerce.
After the ''10 percent zones'' had recently been marked by Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat on Surin's sand, one restaurant declared that one of the zones was for its customers, today's meeting heard.
Shorefront entrepreneurs at Surin are notoriously bold and greedy but the takeover move by the restaurant appeared to be the last straw for Mayor Ma-Ann.
''Other restaurants quite rightly complained about what happened so I have decided to make Surin a 'zero- percent zone' beach,'' he said.
''There will be no commerce, but tourists are free to bring their own chairs and umbrellas and place them wherever they choose.''
On a recent visit to Surin, Phuketwan reporters were approached by umbrella hirers in the car park, the instant the driver's door opened.
''Surin beach is beautiful and zero percent is beautiful,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said today, adding: ''There are no poor vendors at Surin beach.
''The old men who once rented umbrellas on Surin were once poor, but they are now rich,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said.
[The 10 percent zone concept was created to provide an income for poor vendors, who also cannot be found at Patong beach, according to the Patong mayor. The question has to be asked again: so what is the point of the 10 percent zones?]
Vice Governor Chokdee, who was at today's meeting, asked Mayor Ma-Ann to confirm his decision, then added that he would accept it.
Mayor Ma-Ann said he had previously ordered water to be switched off to controversial premises on the Surin shorefront and today ordered the power to be turned off as well.
He said that court cases continued to involve two of the 36 leases involving buildings on the shorefront overseen by Cherng Talay council.
However, with the decision on those two cases expected on December 15, he would have bulldozers on standby ready to flatten the entire shorefront controlled by the council.
Debate was still continuing about the southern strip of buildings, erected by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation after the 2004 tsunami.
Mayor Ma-Ann said he had been told that PPAO officials drafted a letter handing control of those buildings to his Cherng Talay council, but officials could not locate the letter.
Zazada Beach Club, the newest and most expensive of the beach clubs to the north of the beach, was exempt from the destruction order, officials said.
Its future would be decided separately.
Surin has become popular with so-called ''quality'' tourists because of the restaurants and beach clubs but Mayor Ma-Ann said today he intended to restore the natural appeal because Surin was the beach visited by HM The King and The Queen when they visited Phuket in the 1950s.
There was no argument from others at today's meeting.
Three beaches overseen by Cherng Talay - Bang Tao, Nai Yang and Naka island - will be part of the ''10 percent zone'' scheme.
Vice Governor Chokdee said today that all ''10 percent zones'' will be marked with sea horses at the rear corners and starfish at the seafront corners.
The markers were now being created, he added.
The ''10 percent zone'' idea came from former Governor Nisit Jansomwong after the military cleared all commerce from Phuket's public beaches.
But since June last year, paying tourists have been frustrated by a lack of clarity about whether they can bring their own equipment and whether they will be forced into the ''10 percent zones.''
Phuket's police commander told Phuketwan there are no laws stopping people from bringing their own chairs and umbrellas and sitting on any of Phuket's beaches where they please.
The Phuket ''10 percent zone'' concept is unique and contradicts good beach management and preservation standards at the best beaches around the world.
At the same time, Mayor Mas-Ann Samran announced that he has ordered power and water to Surin shorefront restaurants and beach clubs to be turned off, and will send in the wreckers to demolish the buildings in two weeks.
Today's meeting at Thalang Municipal Offices heard Mayor Ma-Ann declare that Surin would now be added to Nai Thon and Mai Khao as ''virgin'' beaches, free from umbrella and mat hiring and commerce.
After the ''10 percent zones'' had recently been marked by Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat on Surin's sand, one restaurant declared that one of the zones was for its customers, today's meeting heard.
Shorefront entrepreneurs at Surin are notoriously bold and greedy but the takeover move by the restaurant appeared to be the last straw for Mayor Ma-Ann.
''Other restaurants quite rightly complained about what happened so I have decided to make Surin a 'zero- percent zone' beach,'' he said.
''There will be no commerce, but tourists are free to bring their own chairs and umbrellas and place them wherever they choose.''
On a recent visit to Surin, Phuketwan reporters were approached by umbrella hirers in the car park, the instant the driver's door opened.
''Surin beach is beautiful and zero percent is beautiful,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said today, adding: ''There are no poor vendors at Surin beach.
''The old men who once rented umbrellas on Surin were once poor, but they are now rich,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said.
[The 10 percent zone concept was created to provide an income for poor vendors, who also cannot be found at Patong beach, according to the Patong mayor. The question has to be asked again: so what is the point of the 10 percent zones?]
Vice Governor Chokdee, who was at today's meeting, asked Mayor Ma-Ann to confirm his decision, then added that he would accept it.
Mayor Ma-Ann said he had previously ordered water to be switched off to controversial premises on the Surin shorefront and today ordered the power to be turned off as well.
He said that court cases continued to involve two of the 36 leases involving buildings on the shorefront overseen by Cherng Talay council.
However, with the decision on those two cases expected on December 15, he would have bulldozers on standby ready to flatten the entire shorefront controlled by the council.
Debate was still continuing about the southern strip of buildings, erected by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation after the 2004 tsunami.
Mayor Ma-Ann said he had been told that PPAO officials drafted a letter handing control of those buildings to his Cherng Talay council, but officials could not locate the letter.
Zazada Beach Club, the newest and most expensive of the beach clubs to the north of the beach, was exempt from the destruction order, officials said.
Its future would be decided separately.
Surin has become popular with so-called ''quality'' tourists because of the restaurants and beach clubs but Mayor Ma-Ann said today he intended to restore the natural appeal because Surin was the beach visited by HM The King and The Queen when they visited Phuket in the 1950s.
There was no argument from others at today's meeting.
Three beaches overseen by Cherng Talay - Bang Tao, Nai Yang and Naka island - will be part of the ''10 percent zone'' scheme.
Vice Governor Chokdee said today that all ''10 percent zones'' will be marked with sea horses at the rear corners and starfish at the seafront corners.
The markers were now being created, he added.
The ''10 percent zone'' idea came from former Governor Nisit Jansomwong after the military cleared all commerce from Phuket's public beaches.
But since June last year, paying tourists have been frustrated by a lack of clarity about whether they can bring their own equipment and whether they will be forced into the ''10 percent zones.''
Phuket's police commander told Phuketwan there are no laws stopping people from bringing their own chairs and umbrellas and sitting on any of Phuket's beaches where they please.
The Phuket ''10 percent zone'' concept is unique and contradicts good beach management and preservation standards at the best beaches around the world.
So two weeks from today is the 10th of December - I wonder whether those building will really all be gone by then? This has been promised so many times before but never actioned.
Posted by Discover Thainess on November 26, 2015 22:10