PHUKET: Letters ordering businesses to clear land close to the sand at Phuket's Surin beach have been sent out - and local mayor Ma-Ann Samran has revealed his new idea for the Surin shorefront.
The vision for Phuket's popular five-star beach is published for the first time today on Phuketwan. It includes additional carparking, walkways and space for a five-star restaurant among trees further back from the beach.
As Mayor of Cherng Talay, Ma-Ann Samran has responsibility for the Surin beachfront and for the parkland that backs the pleasant and popular arc of sand.
Surin has a proud place in Phuket's history. HM The King and HM The Queen visited Surin when there was no development and the beachfront was natural.
In the past few days, two letters ordering businesses along the beachfront to follow the laws of Thailand have been distributed.
One letter delegates responsibility from the Thalang District municipality to Cherng Talay, the local council where Khun Ma-Ann is mayor.
The second letter orders businesses to obey the laws of Thailand and give up occupation of shorefront that is too close to the sea.
While the letters have been handed out, Mayor Ma-Ann has been envisaging a new future for Surin and the surrounding parkland.
When Phuketwan met with Mayor Ma-Ann, he passed on the work of a graphic designer who has projected the vision for Surin beach, as the mayor sees it.
At the meeting, civil engineer Rongrit Chaihanam explained how he had spent an entire day delivering the two important letters to Surin beachfront businesses.
In some cases, he said, there had been no responses and he had taped the letters to doors.
''I would say that some of these businesses were no more than 20 metres from the sea,'' Khun Rongrit said.
''Sometimes, people said good things to me. Others were just sarcastic, saying 'Nothing has happened, and nothing is going to happen.''
Restaurants have a long history on the shorefront at Surin. Phuket's first beach club appeared there five years ago. Several new beach clubs have been planned for this high season, some of them to be established in solid concrete.
Mayor Ma-Ann is prepared to offer a compromise. He said there was some excellent space back from the sand under trees in the park, which was once a Royal golf course.
He plans to offer some of this space for commercial development. ''It will be the best restaurant at Surin beach,'' he said.
''Everything has to be perfect. We want a five-star restaurant, with everything just the way it should be, a model for the rest of Phuket.
''Whoever want to take care of this space needs to be prepared to pay a lot of money.''
Mayor Ma-Ann's vision of the new Surin is the latest development in a long-running saga that became more intense late last year with plans to hold a two-day New Year's party on Surin beach.
At the last minute, when it seemed as though the plan would go ahead despite the opposition of the five-star resorts nearby, the party was shifted to Patong, where it did not inspire the predicted 50,000 partygoers.
Since then, though, the potential for Surin to become Phuket's upmarket entertainment beach appears to have been recognised. A ''beach club gold rush'' is underway at Surin.
Delivery of the letters in the past few days to Surin beach businesses follows two or three meetings at which Phuket Vice Governor Jamleran Tipayapongtada has told Mayor Ma-Ann and other Phuket officials that beachfronts must be cleared of all commercial operations.
''I want the beaches back for Phuket people,'' said Vice Governor Jamleran, who is Phuket born and bred.
According to Khun Rongrit, some people along the shorefront admitted they were ''not the owners.'' ''I rent it from somebody,'' was the message he heard from several people.
Whatever the outcome might be at Surin beach is likely to be a model for other Phuket beaches, where similar commercial pressures also apply.
Before long, it will become clear whether Phuket's beaches are to be preserved in a semi-natural state or exploited for profit.
Mayor Ma-Ann appears to be doing his best to draw his own line in the sand.
The vision for Phuket's popular five-star beach is published for the first time today on Phuketwan. It includes additional carparking, walkways and space for a five-star restaurant among trees further back from the beach.
As Mayor of Cherng Talay, Ma-Ann Samran has responsibility for the Surin beachfront and for the parkland that backs the pleasant and popular arc of sand.
Surin has a proud place in Phuket's history. HM The King and HM The Queen visited Surin when there was no development and the beachfront was natural.
In the past few days, two letters ordering businesses along the beachfront to follow the laws of Thailand have been distributed.
One letter delegates responsibility from the Thalang District municipality to Cherng Talay, the local council where Khun Ma-Ann is mayor.
The second letter orders businesses to obey the laws of Thailand and give up occupation of shorefront that is too close to the sea.
While the letters have been handed out, Mayor Ma-Ann has been envisaging a new future for Surin and the surrounding parkland.
When Phuketwan met with Mayor Ma-Ann, he passed on the work of a graphic designer who has projected the vision for Surin beach, as the mayor sees it.
At the meeting, civil engineer Rongrit Chaihanam explained how he had spent an entire day delivering the two important letters to Surin beachfront businesses.
In some cases, he said, there had been no responses and he had taped the letters to doors.
''I would say that some of these businesses were no more than 20 metres from the sea,'' Khun Rongrit said.
''Sometimes, people said good things to me. Others were just sarcastic, saying 'Nothing has happened, and nothing is going to happen.''
Restaurants have a long history on the shorefront at Surin. Phuket's first beach club appeared there five years ago. Several new beach clubs have been planned for this high season, some of them to be established in solid concrete.
Mayor Ma-Ann is prepared to offer a compromise. He said there was some excellent space back from the sand under trees in the park, which was once a Royal golf course.
He plans to offer some of this space for commercial development. ''It will be the best restaurant at Surin beach,'' he said.
''Everything has to be perfect. We want a five-star restaurant, with everything just the way it should be, a model for the rest of Phuket.
''Whoever want to take care of this space needs to be prepared to pay a lot of money.''
Mayor Ma-Ann's vision of the new Surin is the latest development in a long-running saga that became more intense late last year with plans to hold a two-day New Year's party on Surin beach.
At the last minute, when it seemed as though the plan would go ahead despite the opposition of the five-star resorts nearby, the party was shifted to Patong, where it did not inspire the predicted 50,000 partygoers.
Since then, though, the potential for Surin to become Phuket's upmarket entertainment beach appears to have been recognised. A ''beach club gold rush'' is underway at Surin.
Delivery of the letters in the past few days to Surin beach businesses follows two or three meetings at which Phuket Vice Governor Jamleran Tipayapongtada has told Mayor Ma-Ann and other Phuket officials that beachfronts must be cleared of all commercial operations.
''I want the beaches back for Phuket people,'' said Vice Governor Jamleran, who is Phuket born and bred.
According to Khun Rongrit, some people along the shorefront admitted they were ''not the owners.'' ''I rent it from somebody,'' was the message he heard from several people.
Whatever the outcome might be at Surin beach is likely to be a model for other Phuket beaches, where similar commercial pressures also apply.
Before long, it will become clear whether Phuket's beaches are to be preserved in a semi-natural state or exploited for profit.
Mayor Ma-Ann appears to be doing his best to draw his own line in the sand.
The Rawai Orbortor largely ignores most restaurants and homes built on public property, including expensive beach property. This is most evident just behind the orbortor at Laem Phai, extending around Laem Promthep and to Yanui Beach, Nai Harn, Ao Sane and Nui Beach.
Someone constructed a fence with a ''keep out'' sign on the hillside between The Phuket Yacht Club and Ao Sane. They are evidently making plans of claiming this government property for their own benefit.
Numerous developments have been constructed north of Nai Harn to Kata Noi beach on government property yet no the local municipalities do nothing.
The Orbortor officials should be questioned as to what ''arrangements'' exist that have allowed this to take place.
Posted by bubba on October 1, 2013 04:25