ISOC names 16 Bang Tao beach venues in Phuket land encroachment investigation
Phuket officials have named 16 Bang Tao beach businesses under investigation as part of a fact-finding inquiry into 34 structures in a disputed area of public beachfront land in Cherng Talay.
Officials in Phuket have named 16 businesses in Bang Tao as part of an investigation into alleged encroachment on disputed public beachfront land in Moo 2, Cherng Talay.
The venues are among 34 structures identified in an area that authorities say may be public land or forest land protected under the Forest Act. The remaining 18 structures are residential properties.
The businesses were identified during an inspection earlier this month led by Rear Admiral Praphan Srisuvipa, deputy director of ISOC Phuket and chairman of a provincial fact-finding committee appointed to investigate the alleged encroachment. The committee is expected to submit its final report to Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn in early September.
According to information presented during the inspection, the 16 businesses named by ISOC Region 4 are The Wave Phuket, Ember Steak House, Maya Beach Club, Bud Haven, A-Loma Massage, Reggae Bar, Tiki Shack Bar & Restaurant, MAMBA, Yuuhi Beach Club, Beach Pig, Solis Beach Club, ALOMA, ALOMA Bang Tao, Blue Ocean Restaurant & Bar, Golden Fish and Nomad Beach Club Phuket.
Rear Adm Praphan said the structures under investigation include restaurants, bars, beach clubs, massage businesses, tour operators and other commercial premises. He said the committee’s role is to establish facts rather than determine guilt or innocence.
Investigators are examining land boundaries, ownership claims and the extent of development within the disputed area, which covers more than six rai and is subject to competing ownership claims. Officials are also reviewing five land title deeds cited in the investigation: 22642, 22643, 34220, 34223 and 34224.
Rear Adm Praphan said some parts of the disputed area appear straightforward, while others overlap with neighbouring titled land and require further examination by the Phuket Land Office and Phuket Forestry Centre. Authorities are also seeking clarification over waterways, drainage channels and land affected by tidal inundation.
He said agencies responsible for land administration, forestry, utilities, taxation and local administration must investigate matters within their areas of responsibility.
Addressing reports that some closed businesses had illegally connected to government electricity supplies, Rear Adm Praphan said a recent inspection found no evidence that operators were continuing commercial activities. Electricity being used at the sites appeared to come from private generators, he said.
He also called on Cherng Talay Police and local officials to monitor the area amid concerns about theft from shuttered premises. Operators affected by provincial closure orders were instructed again to comply with suspension notices while the investigation continues.
The inspection followed a visit to Bang Tao Beach on May 10 by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who pledged a crackdown on alleged influential figures, corruption and the illegal occupation of public coastal land.
