PHUKET: Two of Phuket's most highly-regarded five-star resorts, Trisara and the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach, will be affected by a Land Department order today cancelling 17 property titles.
The announcement was made by the department yesterday and could eventually affect property valued at 5000 million baht.
It's believed the title cancelled that affects the Pullman involves a strip of land that has yet to be developed. Trisara, often compared to Amanpuri as perhaps a rival to the top resort on Phuket, is likely to be more comprehensively affected.
Today's cancellation is the latest step in a long investigation probing allegations that some developments bordering Phuket's Sirinath National Park have included sections of land appropriated from the public park.
Three Dolphins, a company that owns Trisara and other well-known resort brands on Phuket, was listed in cancellation documents today. Another title deed ordered cancelled affects a portion of land under the Malaiwana brand.
Leading the investigation is the Director General of the Royal Forest Department, Theerapat Prayurasiddhi. Khun Theerapat has not backed off since his appointment earlier this year by the military.
He told Phuketwan during a trip to the holiday island to look at possible encroachment by a resort on Kamala's expensive Millionaire's Mile that he intended to evict people who had occupied public land illegally, whether they were rich or poor.
So far he has maintained his promise.
The cancellation of the title deeds involving Trisara is likey to intensify debate about whether any illegal resort should be demolished and returned to parkland, as the law currently states, or converted to benefit future parkland preservation in a more practical way.
Teams of investigators are due on Phuket tomorrow to begin investigating another 700 suspect plots.
Investigators have always made the point that current owners may have been deceived if the suspect titles have changed hands several times.
The announcement was made by the department yesterday and could eventually affect property valued at 5000 million baht.
It's believed the title cancelled that affects the Pullman involves a strip of land that has yet to be developed. Trisara, often compared to Amanpuri as perhaps a rival to the top resort on Phuket, is likely to be more comprehensively affected.
Today's cancellation is the latest step in a long investigation probing allegations that some developments bordering Phuket's Sirinath National Park have included sections of land appropriated from the public park.
Three Dolphins, a company that owns Trisara and other well-known resort brands on Phuket, was listed in cancellation documents today. Another title deed ordered cancelled affects a portion of land under the Malaiwana brand.
Leading the investigation is the Director General of the Royal Forest Department, Theerapat Prayurasiddhi. Khun Theerapat has not backed off since his appointment earlier this year by the military.
He told Phuketwan during a trip to the holiday island to look at possible encroachment by a resort on Kamala's expensive Millionaire's Mile that he intended to evict people who had occupied public land illegally, whether they were rich or poor.
So far he has maintained his promise.
The cancellation of the title deeds involving Trisara is likey to intensify debate about whether any illegal resort should be demolished and returned to parkland, as the law currently states, or converted to benefit future parkland preservation in a more practical way.
Teams of investigators are due on Phuket tomorrow to begin investigating another 700 suspect plots.
Investigators have always made the point that current owners may have been deceived if the suspect titles have changed hands several times.
I can't see anything but prolonged litigation in the claim of these titles. Whether they were obtained legally or not, if they were issued by the Land Department and the businesses paid for the land on the face value of this document, in addition to confirmation via searches on the titles, it is hard to see they do not have a legal claim or at the very least a claim against the corrupt officials employed within the Lands Department to recover their losses. As they were employees of a government department, the government will be liable.
Posted by Manowar on December 11, 2014 15:36
Editor Comment:
Are you confusing the Land Department and the Land Titles Office? Failure of a property buyer to undertake due diligence doesn't make the purchase legal. Governments are unlikely to accept responsibility if officials are found to have been corrupt.