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Part of Phuket's contentious Pla Seafood restaurant at Surin beach today

Photo by phuketwan.com

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Phuket Beach Restaurant Dispute Sets the Surin Sand Flying

By Phuketwan Reporters

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

UPDATE

Officials left the restaurant after hearing that a party of 270 from Singapore had booked for Thursday night and paid a 50,000 baht deposit.

Original Report

PHUKET: Concern over private commercial enterprises operating on Phuket's public beaches led today to an attempt by one set of local officials to remove a restaurant from the sands at Surin - and an attempt by another set of officials to let the restaurant stay.

How the Pla Seafood restaurant has managed to operate for several years on the beach at Surin, putting in at various times a pontoon pier, showering facilities, tables and chairs, double-bed size loungers and of late fully grown palms, remained a mystery this afternoon amid haggling by the local authorities.

Attempting to enforce the law today were officials from Cherng Talay council, who reacted when a deadline expired on a letter of intent they had sent to the Thalang District, the region's larger council body.

The letter from the Mayor of Cherng Talay on July 29 told the Director of Thalang District that the owners of the restaurant had been told to remove their furniture from the beach by September 14.

An urgent letter in response from the Director of Thalang District to the Mayor of Cherng Talay called on the mayor's officers to hold off pending a ''continuing investigation.''

Today as officials descended on the beach at Surin there was continuing confusion - among a lot of tables and chairs, beach loungers and propped-up palms (the waving lines of border flags appear to have been put away until next high season) - about what should happen next.

Private enterprises have been encroaching on Phuket's public beaches for years but the Pla Seafood restaurant at Surin is probably the most visually striking example of a private business operating in public space.

Years ago at Karon, a number of restaurants also operated on the sand, but the local council wisely coralled them and built facilities in behind the beach where they could operate, thus protecting the natural beach environment.

Pla Seafood already runs a successful restaurant behind the beach at Surin, which has become perhaps Phuket's most trendy after-dark beach. The quandary is that tourists take great delight in eating on Phuket's beaches.

But if businesses are allowed to operate on the sand, it will only be a matter of time before all of Surin beach disappears under tables and chairs and double-sized beach loungers.

Other beaches would be likely to follow.

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Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

I visit this place every time i come to phuket, it's great to eat out there. however, at high tide you can't walk past the place along the beach. There is also plenty of space under the trees where the other restaurants have remained and this is just as pleasant. So IMO the beach section should go.

There are a bunch of beach establishments (some run down reggae bars) on bang tao that also prevent people actually walk along the beach at high tide in the SW monsoon season too. And that's when it becomes a major problem.

Phuket's beaches should remain in a natural state.

Posted by pp on September 14, 2011 13:33

"How the Pla Seafood restaurant has managed to operate for several years on the beach at Surin"

DUH!!!!! let me guess.

Posted by john s on September 14, 2011 13:51

It's refreshing to read that the council and mayor have tried to take action on this. What will it take to put sufficient pressure on the director of Thalang district to squash this disturbing commercial takeover of Surin beach?

As an expat living next to Surin for years, I am extremely concerned about the degradation of Phuket's beaches -- Surin has gone way downhill in the past few years; I've stopped going to Surin as a result.

Natural beaches make Phuket special. Degraded, commercialized beaches will turn top-class tourists away ultimately. What can the citizens and home-owners of Phuket do to increase the pressure and help effect a change?

Posted by Laura M on September 14, 2011 14:59

While we are talking about Surin Beach, what about the extension of Patong Bay Garden on the beach in Patong? Is it still on private land or encroaching public beach? Like pp mentioned already, "at high tide you can't walk past the place along the beach".

Posted by Fritz Pinguin on September 14, 2011 15:02

Jetskis at Surin Beach cause a bigger problem than does the restaurant.

Posted by mike on September 14, 2011 15:45

How long is it going to take to get the Phuket officials to realise that they must get in step with the rest of the world in the realm of tourism.?

Posted by innocent bystander on September 14, 2011 21:35

One of the things I loved about Samui was the restaurants on the beach, and I always wished I could experience similar in Patong. Being able to stroll along the beach at night, enjoying the sand and the waves, and walking until you find the perfect restaurant. Do that in Patong, and not only are there no restaurants, you likely end up mugged by a ladyboy gang or teenage thugs.

Posted by Just SomeGuy on September 15, 2011 00:38

Pla have treated Surin beach as if it were their own for years. How on earth can anyone put up a private jetty. This latest encroachment was so completely arrogant.

In the high season they encroach from the roadway to the water's edge, completely blocking the beach.

To claim they enhance the beach for the good of the community is pure farce. They show a marked lack of respect by displaying disrespectful images of Lord Buddha with water fountains gushing from Buddha heads. Surely there is a law against this in Thailand.

Save our beaches.

Posted by Surin local on September 17, 2011 23:15

Well done for raising yet another community issue. It would seem that you have actually stimulated interest from other media in Phuket to tackle this problem that is wrecking the natural side of what Phuket has to offer.

We don't want our local beach to become like those in Spain or southern Europe. This is why we have visitors because we offer an alternative.

Please keep our beach natural, and please show some respect for Buddhist people and remove those offensive water fountains from the heads of Lord Buddha's image.

To the officials leading this clean up well done! Keep your courage!

Posted by Surin Local on September 18, 2011 11:12