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Beach adornments once considered appropriate by Surin entrepreneurs

Top Phuket Beach Clubs Told to Quit

Sunday, February 22, 2015
PHUKET: Final notices giving the remaining businesses on Phuket's Surin shorefront 30 days to vacate will be handed out tomorrow, local Mayor Ma-Ann Samran said today.

''If the buildings remain occupied, then police will act when the notice period expires,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said. ''It is our intention to demolish all of the buildings.''

Cherng Talay municipality followed orders from the military to clear all commerce from Surin and other beaches and beach foreshores after the Army took control of Thailand on May 22 last year.

All of the beach clubs and restaurants on the seaward side of a path that stretched the length of the beach were bulldozed but some well-known brands remained open and continued to operate on the other side of the path.

Catch, Bimi and Zazada are three names that have become famous as beach clubs at Surin with Taste, Pla, the Red Tablecloth, Salt and Twin Brothers among the restaurants that have continued to open and prosper.

The lucrative Surin businesses are not likely to close without a fight. Precise arrangements under which the shorefront businesses originally opened without action by local authorities remain unclear.

Catch Beach Club is regarded as Phuket's first beach club and it spawned a long list of imitators at Surin and other beaches.

The managers at the resorts around Surin say the beach will lose its present character without the beach clubs and restaurants.

Mayor Ma-Ann said today that a row of shops was constructed along the Surin shorefront to help locals recover after the 2004 tsunami - even though Surin beach was not seriously affected.

''Those buildings that remain occupied by the original recipients of the tsunami aid are possibly still legal,'' the mayor said. ''The rest are illegal.''

Questions are also being asked about a large new development at the southern end of Surin beach that appears to be embedded on rocks not far from the high-water mark.

Comments

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We have gone to phuket for the last twenty years and enjoyed all it had to offer. The beach chairs the umbrellas the restaurants right on or along the beach and then the beach clubs when they opened.One of the main things we look forward to these days is going for lunch and dinner at the catch and bimi in particular but there would be no real reason for us to go to surin anymore if they are removed. A lot of locals would rely on the jobs and money brought in by these businesses its a terrible shame to remove them.

Posted by Dazz on February 22, 2015 12:00

Editor Comment:

Have no fear, Dazz, the mayor has a bold plan to provide food and drink for tourists at a municipal facility.

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First see, than believe. If we observe all the illegal activities just beside the police station + what is going on presently at car park Surin, than I rate this just as bombastic bla bla. Surin is a 'island' on the island of Phuket. It has her own thinking/ruling.

Posted by Kurt on February 22, 2015 12:24

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When did this close down the beach buildings start?

Must be well over 6 months since the first threat of closing everything in 30 days.

By the time Phuket gets anything done, mankind may even be extinct.

Posted by Tbs on February 22, 2015 17:31

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Well, Surin certainly lends itself to being an example of how the law can be applied evenly and fairly across the board. If only the original buildings in their original configuration, are legal, I will be very curious to see how evenly and fairly this criteria is applied. There has historically been some people in Surin that seem to enjoy a bit more privileges than others. I will be really curious to see how the latest building renovation along the south end of the beach road will be handled. This bar/restaurant certainly has NO resemblance of the original structure and far exceeds anything along the beach road. As far as the monstrosity at the very south end of the bay... just watch, that behemoth is gonna get stuffed down everyone's throat just as it is, even though it rises over 4 stories about 5 meters from the edge of the main highway. Unbelievably poor planning (more like NO planning).

Posted by Ed Sanders on February 22, 2015 17:41

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Dazz:

Don't worry about the locals making money. They are extremely busy elsewhere and making a lot more than before!

Posted by Sam on February 22, 2015 18:43

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By By Quality Tourist .... The only charmy Beach in Phuket is done ! Maybe is time for Thailand to make some long term planing and decide what they want to do out of their 4 major tourist hubs , Phuket - Pattaya - Chang Mai n BKK and give it a plane for the next 10 years !
Ex. Chang Mai = Eco Farm Tourists
Pattaya = Mass Touriat
Phuket = Medium High Tourist
Bangkok = Urban Tourist
Decided that creation of infrstructure and Marketing axcording to plane .

Posted by Pepe on February 22, 2015 19:05

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Pepe,

your idea of a quality tourist is a human being having a beach club in Surin, Phuket, Thailand visited?

Best yet, when he drives up in a Porsche wearing Rolex, Armani and Ray Ban?
This is your imagination of Quality?

Posted by Georg The Viking on February 22, 2015 22:29

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Nobody can be above the law. corruption and illegal bussineses must stop, otherwise Thailand will be like Africa. The authority is doing a very good job, and I am sure they will continue to bring
happiness to the Thai people and security for the foreigners.......it will take time but they will succeed.

Posted by Davidrej on February 22, 2015 23:53

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Good that the beaches are being handed back to the people. The only ones who seem to be complaining are sour old farangs, probably because their knees are too worn out from their extra body weight to bend down to the sand. Better to have happy beach goers than old cry babies.

Posted by SoloSally on February 25, 2015 10:21

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After five years of spending winterholidays in Surin Beach,we saw the beautiful beach degrading year after year, by more and more (often illegal) constructions, less nature and noisy beach clubs. While Catch at first was attracting trendy nice people in the evening, Zazada and Bimi now prevent any possibility to enjoy a peaceful rest at the beach. Around sunset, they compete to make the loudest beats, starting already around 16.30h..Zazada even attracts jet ski renters that come over to show off to their friends, close to the swimmers... Spotligts on both north and South of the beach prevent nice evening walks on the beach. The park (once beautiful and romantic) is totally run over by cars driving wherever they want, and this year, also used for parking tourist busses.., land is taken from on both sides of the park for "public" constructions.
Huge ugly pillars with cool white spotlights are put all over in the park. An ugly huge appartment construction is ruining the South end from the beach, hardly any trees are left at this end by now, what a shame, who gave these building permits?...Sand is full of stones, left from removed illegal constructions on the beach. When snorkling, you see rubbish all over... We have doubts about the quality of the water in front of the beach. Where will this end up?? Is there nobody in charge that can make logic decisions to keep Surin beach attractive, quiet,clean and green as it should? Surin beach had all options to be attractive because of the park and lack of a big traffic road, but it seems that greed and wrong decisions messed it all up. What a pity!

Posted by Kat on February 25, 2015 23:40

Editor Comment:

Yes, what a pity.


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