PATTAYA, CHON BURI: The marine office in Pattaya has discovered as many as 58 cases of encroachment into the sea at Koh Lan island, a well-known tourist spot off Pattaya, an official said on Wednesday.
Ekarat Khantharo, director of the Pattaya marine office, said the Navigation in Thai Waters Act prohibits the building of structures that jut into or over the sea.
Of the 58 cases, 28 were resorts and lodging houses built for commercial purposes. The 30 others included 15 residential structures, ten walkways, two multi-purpose raised platforms and an area for raising fish in baskets.
Since strict enforcement of the law against sea encroachment had proven difficult and affected traditional ways of life of the local people, the National Council for Peace and Oder (NCPO) issued an order in 2017 to exempt from punishment those who had built structures for residential purposes and other non-commercial uses prior to 1994. The order also applies to other similar areas in the country.
The Marine Department has been empowered to determine which structures should be exempted under the order.
At Koh Lan island alone, the Pattaya marine office found 28 of the 58 cases to be in breach of the Navigation in Thai Waters Act and not liable for exemption from punishment under the NCPO order.
The Marine Department filed a lawsuit against the 28 resorts and lodging houses, whose operators then appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court.
The court has yet to rule on the appeals, Mr Ekarat said.