A public prosecutor in Phuket has called for fairness for all the parties in the tense dispute and has pointed out that the Supreme Administrative Court has yet to rule on the validity of the title to the land. A lower court in 2017 ruled that the site was forestry land and that the deeds were invalid.
A Bangkok MP fearlessly travelled to Phuket over the weekend on a crusade to examine a controversial condo development which he firmly believes is illegal. Last week, he told the media that he had received death threats prior to his visit and over the weekend he did not hold back in his determination to get to the bottom of the matter even getting involved in a heated exchange with a senior local police officer.
Bangkok based Palang Pracharat MP, Sira Jenjaka, has spent the weekend and Monday getting to the bottom of what he suspects to be an unauthorised condominium development on forest land overlooking Phuket’s beautiful Kata Bay.
MP says he received death threats over his interest in the matter last week before he went to Phuket
Last week, he revealed that he had received death threats prior to his visit to Phuket. On Sunday, the MP met with the Deputy Police Chief of Karon, Lieutenant Colonel Prateung Ponman and took issue with him both on the progress of the investigation into the condo development and the lack of protection police made available to him on his trip in spite of the death threats that had been reported. The senior policeman told him that the investigation was moving forward ‘step by step’ and that unfortunately, police were deployed on other duties.
Vehement MP confronts local police in Karon, Phuket
A video of the MP involved in a heated exchange with the police officer has gone viral on social media. On Monday, the MP said that he had received an apology but had not offered one in return. As to his aggressive posture, he said; ‘This is my character. I don’t care. I am working for the benefit of the country.’
Court in 2017 ruled that the title deeds were invalid
An administrative court for the region in August 2017 sitting in Nakhon Si Thammarat, ruled that the land title for the condo project which is held under a NorSor 3 Kor land deed, was invalid as it was forestry land but it is understood that the developer, Karon Beach Co. Ltd., appealed that decision to the Supreme Administrative Court and it has yet to give its final verdict.
Local authority officials have claimed that all the correct documentation to do with the issuance of a valid building permit were supplied for the project but the MP, Mr Sira, is adamant that the land title is not correct. This would ultimately make any permission also invalid.
Military officers sent by the PM in March to examine the controversy surrounding the project
It is understood that senior military officers visited Phuket from the Internal Security Operations Command in March to investigate the controversy at the personal behest of the prime minister. Building work on the site is currently suspended while the developer awaits the outcome of the case.
It is also reported that there are already people who have signed to purchase condominium units in the development which comprises of 416 units.
Government agencies investigating the development
The MP has been asking to have the matter fully investigated by the National Anti Corruption Commission in Phuket, Municipal authorities in Karon, the local police and the Department of Land.
Senior public prosecutor urges fairness for all parties
One practised legal observer, Wanchat Chunhatanom, who is a senior public prosecutor in Phuket working under the auspices of the Attorney General says the first matter to be resolved is the legal status of the land and title deed. ‘We must give fairness to both parties, the people who filed the complaint and the project owner, and we must admit that the highest court has not yet delivered its judgment,’ he was quoted as saying yesterday by the Phuket News, Phuket’s local newspaper.
MP addressed an audience of local people in Phuket on Sunday opposed to the condo plan
Meanwhile, on Sunday last, the Bangkok MP had an enthusiastic audience at a protest organised against the development. ‘I have come to call on relevant officials to stop the construction of the condominium, which is believed may be illegal under the control of influential people,’ he told them. ‘The area where the condominium is located used to be a protected forest. The construction will negatively affect the nearby area and local people.’
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