Illegal island villa ordered closed
published : 26 Jun 2023 at 09:11
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Supapong Chaolan
A villa in a Koh Tao resort built without permission has been ordered closed by local authorities.
The villa, built on a rocks with direct access to the sea, belongs to Cape Shark Villas, a luxury resort with over 30 pool villas on its hilltop property in the island's south.
The 48m² building -- called the Hideaway Villa-- became an issue when a netizen made a complaint on the Facebook page of an anti-corruption club in the province, questioning if the villa's construction was legal.
Surat Thani's governor said that every inch of Koh Tao island belongs to the Treasury Department.
He said the authorities had investigated whether the resort had received permission to build the villa and the resort.
The mayor of Koh Tao municipality said the municipality initially found the resort had not asked permission before constructing the villa.
An official on Thursday put an announcement on the villa's door saying it had to be closed.
The municipality would investigate whether the resort was built without permission. Cape Shark Pool Villa Company was founded in May 2016.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- access: the ability to enter a building or place - การเข้าสู่
- announcement: a spoken or written statement that informs people about something - การประกาศ
- complaint: when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory - การร้องเรียน
- construct: to build or make something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. - สร้าง
- governor: a person who is chosen to be in charge of the government of a state or province or a government agency - ผู้ว่าการรัฐ, ผู้ว่าราชการจังหวัด
- legal: allowed by the law - ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย
- municipality: a town, city or district with its own local government - เทศบาล
- netizen: a person who uses the Internet a lot - พลเมืองเครือข่ายคอมพิวเตอร์
- official: someone with an important position in an organisation - เจ้าหน้าที่
- permission: allowing someone to do something - การอนุญาต,การอนุมัติ,การยินยอม
- property: a building or buildings and the surrounding land - อสังหาริมทรัพย์
- Treasury department: the government department in charge of overseeing government possessions, appraisimg real estate (property), and overseeing money production - กรมธนารักษ์
- villa: a house usually in the countryside or near the sea - บ้านพักตากอากาศ, บ้านพักของเศรษฐีในชนบท
