PHUKET LAND SCANDAL Damn The Torpedoes
We aren't quite sure if the current National Park land encroachment dispute should be called Damn Wrong or Damn Right!
One thing for sure is that things are set to heat up on the heels of an announcement by Damrong Phidet Director-General of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Conservation that come September 25th he will be instructing a large team of officers to review the alleged infringements by developers of a series of luxury hotels and resorts on the island's West Coast.
As is the fashion of headline grapping rumors that have been swilling over impending action by the Government to dismantle illegal structures and more bizarrely death threats to officials which may or may not have happened, depending the storyline in a given day.
While resort and luxury estate names are being flaunted here and there, the investigation seems to be a moving target. In reality the only immediate danger is that another national issue might come up in the next few weeks and push the story deeper into the news.
End of the day, each landowner and the Government will have the option to pursue the matter in a court of law and this will no doubt play out over a period of time.