Demolition of beachfront Phuket restaurant postponed

The Royal Thai Navy Area 3 Command has vowed to return in 15 days to a beachfront restaurant on Ley Pang beach that they were expecting to demolish today (Sept 2) but had to postpone because of a letter they had received from the Interior permanent secretaryʼs office on Monday (Aug 31).

Officials from Cherng Talay OrBorTor and navy officers were expecting to go to Tonyʼs Restaurant on Ley Pang beach, Bangtao to demolish it because it encroached on public land. However, due to the arrival of the “urgent” letter received from the Interior permanent secretary office demolition had to be postponed.

Speaking to The Phuket News at a meeting held this morning, Lt Somphop Kamkana of Royal Thai Navy Area 3 Command said, “They have no right to do any business on public land. We will come back in 15 days after we have gathered more evidence and discuss the matter with the governor.”

A lawyer representing the restaurant, Mr Lapat Karnvijit, told The Phuket News that the case involving his client and Cherng Talay OrBorTor is still pending in court and as long as the case is pending he does not expect anyone to demolish the restaurant.

“This case started last year. We have handed all the required documents to the authorities and are waiting for their response. Right now our appeal to revoke the order of demolition of the restaurant is in the Administrative Supreme Court in Bangkok,” Mr Lapat said.

This is the second Tonyʼs Restaurant that has been ordered to be demolished, with the first, located about 20 metres in front of the latest, being removed last year. Before starting to build this second restaurant they consulted with the land department.

“The demolition of the first Tonyʼs Restaurant upset all of us. Over 30 restaurant staff suffered because they lost their jobs. This is a new restaurant and we tried so hard to build it according to the law. For me, I still cannot understand what went wrong,” said Mr Lapat.

Ma-an Samran chief of Cherng Talay OrBorTor said that there are about 8 restaurants on Cherng Talay beach that have to be removed, but today was when Tonyʼs Restaurant was due to be demolished.

“Tonyʼs Restaurantʼs lawyer said that they have a right to build the restaurant on the beach because they have a Nor Sor 3 Kor land title. I asked them to bring all evidence to the OrBorTor office but they still havenʼt done so up until now,” said Mr Ma-an.

Mr Lapat confirmed that they had brought all the documents, including a construction lay-out, to the Cherng Talay OrBorTor but it mysteriously disappeared.

“We are suing Mr Ma-an for neglect of duty at the Nakorn Sri Thammart court. He said that after we handed the documents and the construction lay-out three men in black suits came and took the documents back with no signatures. This is unbelievable,” Mr Lapat said.

Phuket News

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