KOH SAMUI — A demolition order for 19 luxury villas from two major projects on Koh Samui has been ignored. Recent inspections have revealed that the operators continue to illegally rent out the villas to tourists on a daily and monthly basis, raking in hundreds of thousands of baht.
On September 18, more than 50 government officials from central and local authorities, led by Pol. Col. Dusit Kasornkaew, head of the Task Force to Resolve State Land Grabbing and Natural Resource Destruction, inspected luxury villa projects on hilltops in Lamai Subdistrict, Maret District (11 villas) and Khun Hmanang Mountain, Bo Phut Subdistrict (8 villas).
The inspection found a violation of the 2019 ban on the use of buildings under the Samui Municipal Control Act. A luxury villa in Lamai was found to be occupied by a tourist from Luxembourg.
When questioned, the Luxembourgish tourist stated that he had rented the luxury villa from a foreign owner under a six-month contract and had paid a monthly rent of 7,000 euro, the equivalent of 259,490 baht. The tourist emphasized that he did not know that the villa was illegal and could not be used. The authorities explained to him the legal situation and the reason for the eviction. The municipality will collect evidence to file a lawsuit against the villa owner.
At the second site in Khun Hmanang Mountain, Bo Phut Subdistrict, officials inspected eight villas and sealed them with red and white tape to prevent access. Despite the city government’s order to lock down the villas, they continued to be used.
One villa, a two-storey building without planning permission, was found to have already been completed and rented out. The second floor had been rented out to a cleaning company for 5,000 baht per month, while the second floor had been converted into rental rooms. A French citizen had rented one of the rooms for 20,000 baht per month for one year.
Another luxury villa was rented for two weeks by a family of three Russian tourists who paid 200,000 baht. They had only recently moved in and did not know that the villa was illegal. The authorities explained the legal situation and the need for eviction and will press charges against the villa owner.
Pallop Meepian, a legal expert from Samui Municipality, said the inspection of both sites had confirmed that the buildings were in violation of legal regulations. The municipality had ordered a halt to construction, a ban on use and demolition. The villa owners have not appealed or filed a lawsuit, meaning they accept the legal consequences. The municipality will make use of its legal authority to demolish the buildings.
Currently, the authorities have cordoned off the areas to indicate that the buildings are illegal and entry is prohibited. Anyone entering them is breaking the law and charges have already been filed. The next steps for the luxury villas in Lamai Subdistrict are to issue a demolition order for all 11 villas on 30 September 2024 with a deadline for demolition by 20 October 2024. The city government and a task force will conduct another inspection on 21 October 2024.
As for the villas in Khun Hmanang Mountain, Bo Phut Subdistrict, Samui Municipality will issue Order K.6 on 30 September 2024 to prohibit the use of the buildings or allow others to use them as they are deemed dangerous, as part of the ongoing legal proceedings.
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