Ao Kung marina dispute returns to Phuket review

A Senate committee and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have returned to the long-running dispute over plans for an Ao Kung marina and the dredging of the bay in Phuket’s Pa Khlok area.

The latest review was held at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday, 25 September 2026. Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom met Senate Committee Chairman Noraset Prachyakorn and National Human Rights Commissioner Sayamol Kaiyurawong, along with representatives of government agencies, the private sector and the Baan Ao Kung community.

The discussions focused on establishing the facts about the proposed Ao Kung cruise and sports marina, the public waterway dredging project, the proposed construction site, the alignment of the waterway and questions over land use and potentially overlapping claims. Officials also exchanged information on public land, transport, marine and coastal resources, environmental issues and concerns raised by local residents.

No final decision on the marina was announced. The parties instead focused on reconciling technical information from government agencies with conditions on the ground, including the management of public areas and potential effects on local communities.

The marina proposal dates back to at least 2017-18, when plans were drawn up for a B450-million marina and sports complex. The development included an access channel about eight metres deep. Residents and conservationists raised concerns about possible damage to coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove forests.

In May 2018, then Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong ordered a new public hearing after inspecting coral in Ao Kung and amid concerns about dredging. Seaview Land Co Ltd, acting for Enrich Consultants Co Ltd, later withdrew its Environmental Impact Assessment application. The withdrawal was confirmed by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning in October 2018. The EIA process would have to start again if the project proceeds.

Ao Kung contains extensive coral formations, including areas around Koh Hei, also known as Coral Island, as well as mangrove areas used by local fishing communities.

The dredging issue resurfaced in 2022, when the Marine Department held a public meeting on 9 February. About 180 people attended, most of them described as local fishermen. Officials presented plans to dredge the public waterway, while project proponents said boats had difficulty entering the area at low tide. A majority of attendees reportedly supported the dredging.

The Ao Kung Conservation Group challenged the environmental implications and the way the meeting had been conducted. It petitioned then Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, arguing that the forum had not fairly represented all stakeholders and asking for the proposal to be reconsidered.

A later meeting on the marina project covered about 30 rai and included a mooring basin of about 35,060 square metres for up to 75 boats, with a proposed access channel about 20 metres wide. Residents questioned how wastewater, oil and chemicals from boat maintenance would be managed and how the surrounding marine environment would be protected.

The controversy intensified in May this year after Phuket MP Somchart Techathaworncharoen met Ao Kung residents who complained that the project was advancing without adequate public participation. Residents said they had not been informed of, or invited to, public hearings they believed should have been part of the EIA process. They also said Ao Kung was an important fishing ground for communities in Phuket and the neighbouring provinces of Krabi and Satun.

Somchart said he would examine whether the EIA process had followed the required procedures and investigate potential effects on marine and coastal resources. He later released photographs from a boat survey that he described as showing red coral and gorgonian sea fans, and alleged that mangroves in the area had been poisoned and damaged. Those allegations have not been established as fact.