Deputy interior minister confirms five Bang Tao land plots are legally owned
A deputy interior minister said five disputed plots at Bang Tao Beach in Phuket have valid title deeds, while separate investigations continue into alleged encroachment on untitled and public land.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee confirmed during an inspection of Bang Tao Beach in Cherng Talay on July 10 that five disputed land plots have valid title deeds and are legally owned.
Officials said the five titled plots cover about nine rai and had previously been examined as part of a wider investigation into alleged encroachment and land use along the beachfront. The title deeds identified were Nos. 22642, 22643, 34220, 34223 and 34224.
The inspection was carried out as authorities continued examining disputed land occupation at Bang Tao Beach. Mr Polapee was joined by Chaiwat Junthirapong, Secretary to the Minister of Interior; Department of Lands Director-General Pornpoj Penpas; Department of Provincial Administration Deputy Director-General Ronnarong Thipsiri; Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum; Phuket vice governors; and other officials.
Authorities reported that about six rai of untitled land had been encroached upon by 31 shops and other structures. Legal proceedings are underway under the Forest Act of 1941. Officials also said they found 17 structures allegedly encroaching on public land along the beach, and relevant agencies were ordered to investigate and take legal action where warranted.
Despite confirming the five plots as validly titled, Mr Polapee ordered the Department of Lands and other agencies to urgently investigate any areas where land titles may have been issued unlawfully, including surrounding land. He said strict legal action must be taken if any title deeds are found to have been improperly issued in order to protect state land and the public interest.
The latest inspection follows months of investigation into land occupation and business operations along Bang Tao Beach. In June, Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 named 16 beachfront businesses under investigation among 34 structures identified in a disputed area of public or forest land in Moo 2, Cherng Talay. The remaining 18 structures were identified as residential properties.
The investigation has focused on more than six rai of disputed land and included examination of the five title deeds now confirmed as valid and owned by a private company. At the time, Rear Admiral Praphan Srisuvipa, Deputy Director of ISOC Phuket and chairman of the provincial fact-finding committee, said the committee's role was to establish facts rather than determine guilt or innocence. Investigators were examining land boundaries, ownership claims and development within the disputed area, including possible overlaps with neighbouring titled land, waterways, drainage channels and areas affected by tidal inundation.
The probe followed a May 10 visit to Bang Tao Beach by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who pledged action against alleged influential figures, corruption and the illegal occupation of public coastal land.
