BBC Restaurant
Squatters on Big Buddha Beach
Introduction
Progress

BBC Restaurant is located on a rai of beachfront land.

Some Koh Samui residents were illegally squatting on this land and have stolen the beach in front for their own use. They built a wall that not only blocks the view but also connected to our house and throw raw sewerage onto the beach in front of our house where our kids try to play.

We have asked the illegal squatters to demolish the illegally constructed dwelling and go and live in one of the 2 other houses that they own (that I know of) and they say "you are Farang's and cannot tell us to go"

This is not just a recent story, we have been asking them to go for nearly 6 years but they kept making excuses that they have no money ... well they have built a new house in Plai Leam, have put all 4 children through school and one through University, they have a house across the road and 2 vehicles and the children all have good jobs. They are not poor, they are just greedy and are using any excuse they can to steal the beach for them selves ... the rest is more complicated and is detailed below and other pages.

 

In Summary:

  • Kia Ora (Thailand) Company limited bought the land on 28 March 2544 (2001) and the title was Nor Sor Sam Gor.
  • The land is purchased through a Thai registered company - Kia Ora (Thailand) Company Limited ("Kia Ora" ). Kia Ora is 70% Thai owned predominantly by the children who have both Thai and New Zealand citizenship. Kia Ora is capitalised at THB18 million, operates 4 subsidiary operations (Restaurant, Yacht Charter, Minibus Services and property rentals), employs around 25 - 30 people (only 1 Farang and the actual number depends on whether it is just after pay day or not) pays taxes and operates in a legal and ethical manner.
  • The title was upgraded to Chanote on 4 November 2545 (2002)
  • When Kia Ora (Thailand) Co Ltd bought the land in 2544, the neighbours who were living in a small tin shack about 10 metres from the boundary (matriarch is Pee Dim, with her father, 3 sons, daughter and older brother involved) asked if they could stay a little bit to save money for her house in Plai Laem and while her son was at school.
  • We agreed to wait until her house was built on her land in Plai Leam and her son to finish school and would not complain.
  • We were good neighbours and invited them to join in parties at the Restaurant, provided them with water when they needed it etc.
  • All the time, Pee Dim kept saying they would go soon...
  • The house has been built on their land in Plai Laem for around 2 years and her son has left school over a year ago and now has a job in a hotel.
  • Recently they started to sneak out at night and put rocks to claim land from the beach and have built more rooms.  They have taken beach to build rooms for themselves. 
  • They have also used our land and wall for their house and have built a solid wall in front of our house obstructing access to the beach and obstructing the view of Big Buddha.
  • We repeatedly asked them to stop but they continue to come out at night and do it.
  • They have been putting the concrete rings into the beach so that their untreated waste water goes into the beach near where our children play – we asked them to take them away, but they said no and just covered them with sand.
  • The stench is so bad at the moment during high tide, that we have decided to move out of our own house on our own land and go and rent from someone else. We also believe this is a safer option because we truly do worry about these people and what they might do to us if / when the Police and Government departments do something about their illegal activities.
  • We offered to provide staff and truck to help dismantle their building and take their buildings and belongings to their land in Plai Laem since it is finished ... and just recently they say they are not going, they want to stay at this place because their family owned the land before.  They sold it to Talaykaeo company who then sold it to us.
  • They stated “we are Thai people and can stay anywhere – Farang's cannot tell us to go”

They are committing a number of illegal activities:

  • They have stolen beach from the Crown;
  • They have encroached onto our land;
  • They have built a dwelling without a building permit;
  • They have connected their dwelling to ours (If they had a chanote title they still would have to be back approximately 2 metres)
  • They operate a bar without a license (they even rented out one of the sala's to some bar girls and earned THB6,000 a month in rent from an illegally erected bar on the crown land - in total they earned over THB100,000 from rent alone)
  • They put raw waste directly into the beach / sea.

While we have been waiting for them, they have been telling us they will go soon. In the mean time:

  • They have received more then THB100,000 rent from renting out a sala to some bar girls;
  • The elder daughter has been put through University in Bangkok and is now working;
  • The three boys have finished school in Samui and now have good jobs;
  • The middle son also now has a girlfriend / wife and baby (all living in the shack on the beach);
  • They have finished their house in Plai Laem on the land that they own there.

We want to redevelop our site and clean up the beach and make it useable for all - it is a wonderful location with sunset views, Big Buddha views and one of the only small beaches along the stretch of rocky coast. We have designs in place but until the squatters go we are not sure what is best to do.

We have approached the police recently who have come and taken photos and written 2 reports which we have had to sign. They laughed at the sheer audacity of the squatters when they saw the wall connected to our house and the sign in front of the squatters dwelling stating the land was Crown land and the beach should be protected for all to use. They say they have reported the illegalities to 6 different Government departments but as yet nothing has happened. We realise it will take time to work through the system and can only just hope it will move along soon ...

Any support or assistance you can provide is much appreciated - just email us at mark@bbcsamui.com

In a nutshell here is a picture summary of the problem...

Here is our Chanote peg located in the middle of the squatters laundry.

When you go to the land office and search the titles, there is no land directly to the North or West as it is all beach / Crown land - and on the East side it is road.

These people are therefore stealing from the Crown and because they are blocking access to the piece they are not stealing, they are being extra selfish by denying the general public use of the beach

Here's the squatters bedroom wall connected to our house (this photo was taken by the police and the Gentleman pointing out the illegal connection is Khun Suthep who operates a law and accounting office in Koh Samui - S. Samui Business Company Limited)
Here's the current view from Jacobs bedroom (he used to be able to see Big Buddha)
In building their bedroom and connecting it to our house, the climbed all over the roof of Anna's room. They also attached a kitchen sink to the other side of the wall and then went about demolishing it with a sledge hammer. The results of this is that there are now large cracks on the inside of Anna's room and the roof leaks during heavy storms. We have asked for money to pay for cement and repair etc, but nothing yet has been handed over.
Here's a different perspective of the same wall - and please note, that "retaining wall" that they are building on was created by them sneaking out at night and putting rocks on the beach, and covering it with cement. We would often see them working late and asked them to stop ... but they did not.
Here's where there used to be beach but now has a bar / restaurant / 3 bedroom home on it - no longer allowing access down to the beach
zoomed in
Here's the top view of the building - estimated to be nearly 100 sqm in size (notice how they have also connected themselves around the power pole which means they are stealing roadside as well).
Here's the beach where the kids used to play, but cannot because of the stench and the worry that they might catch some disease from the raw sewerage being pumped onto the beach
More raw waste going onto the beach
And even more ...
Here's the sign that states it is crown land and should be protected for all to use (notice how they are using it as an extra screen and also for hanging their pot plants
And here is their house in Plai Laem that they were saving for ... looks nearly finished to me (well, if they used the money and materials from the illegal beach development it would certainly be finished) ... almost livable .. wonder if it has a septic tank or just puts it straight out onto their own land?
Papa has a house just across the road from BBC Restaurant and wanders over every morning to take guard over waste disposal onto the beach.
They are not poor and destitute .... just Greedy

We are writing this story for 2 reasons.

1. to publicise something that is all too common in Samui and that all foreigners should be aware of it when doing business here. I am not saying we are dealing with it the right way, but at least you can look at the circumstances and make your own opinions.

2. in case something happens to us there is a record of why we might be injured, dead or in jail and perhaps you can help do something about assisting us and / or dealing with the culprits.

When reading through this, please do not get us wrong, we love Thailand and have chosen it as our home. It is just that this particular event has got us extremely angry, frustrated and scared. We are trying to deal with it in a calm manner and through the proper channels. But every day we walk out our front door to the sight of that wall and the smell of raw sewerage and we cannot contain our anger ... we want to be rid of the squatters as quickly as possible. Let them go and live in their other houses on their own land and stop being greedy and stealing from us, the crown and making both places dirty.

For the moment we are moving out of our house as we cannot continue living there in fear and with the horrible stench.

Our advice to any Farang's in a similar situation - "don't be soft, don't try and be nice - be like the locals, be ruthless and get rid of the problem early".

www.bbcrestaurant.com/squatters.htm
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