NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: Owners on Wednesday began dismantling shops built onto a concrete platform jutting into a canal flowing through the famous tourist village of Khiriwong following a public outcry.
As work progressed to return the area to nature, the shop owners will soon face legal action for allegedly encroaching on a public area.
Workers started dismantling the concrete platform built into Klong Tha Dee, a landmark of the village in Lan Saka district, after the Region 4 Marine Office gave them a five-day deadline to rehabilitate the site. Authorities from various agencies on Tuesday drew a line establishing where the bank of the canal is supposed to be.
The canal is the responsibility of the Marine Department and the areas along the banks belong to the Royal Forest Department.
Owners of about 10 shops constructed the concrete bed that juts as far as four metres into the water, so that tourists could enjoy meals and drinks during their visits to the village. It is unclear when the illegal construction took place. It only came to public attention after a Facebook post on Monday by Chom Rom Strong-Jit Porpiang Tan Thudjarit, an anti-corruption association in the province.
“No state agencies have taken action,” it said in a message message with the hashtag #khiriwong in Thai.
Local officials hastily went to the village on Tuesday after the post went viral but did not take action against the alleged encroachers.
Uraiwan Chomthong, one of the shop owners, claimed the concrete structure was built to prevent further erosion of the bank by the rapid currents of the canal, according to Thai PBS.
Lan Saka district chief Samkhan Orathai said on Wednesday that all shop owners agreed to destroy the illegally construction but he did not mention legal action.
Nakhon Si Thammarat governor Siripat Pattanakul ordered the regional marine office to file complaints against all the encroaching parties with the Lan Saka police. State officials could also face charges of dereliction of duty for failing to take legal action, the governor added.
The anti-corruption watchdog vowed not to lower its guard against the issue, promising to closely monitor the work to end the encroachment. “The five-day deadline will end on Oct 20, 2019. We will see whether all encroached structures will be removed by then,” its Facebook post said. “If not, authorities have to take action against the encroachers.”
Khiriwong is promoted as an eco-tourism destination. It received the Thailand Tourism Award from the Eco-tourism Institute in 1998 as the country’s best attraction at the community level.