Nine hotels have been given 15 days to vacate two beaches in Phuket after the Supreme Court ruled that they had occupied 178 rai of public land. The order to the businesses occupying Layan and Lepang beaches was issued on Friday by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). According to Pol Lt Col Prawut, the occupants were running hotels and other businesses on the beaches where land prices are quoted at up to 70 million baht per rai. Influential and connected parties occupy many other plots of public land and national forests but prosecuting such breaches is often very difficult. Pol Lt Col Prawut estimated the value of illegally occupied land on Phuket at 10 billion baht.

Source: Bangkok Post November 03, 2017 11:48 UTC