Sophon Suwannarat and his wife arrived on the island only on Tuesday but it was straight to work for the new official yesterday as a letter of complaint regarding trading space allocation for 40 or so merchants based at Surin Beach was submitted for his consideration and action.
Pradub Koliyanon, assistant to Thitikan Thitipruethikul, Member of Parliament for Phuket District 3 (all of Thalang District plus Tambon Kathu), was joined by the group of disgruntled vendors, many brandishing hand-written signs, around 10:40am yesterday at Provincial Hall to submit the letter directly to Mr Sophon requesting his help.
The letter explained that 20 years ago vendors were allowed to set up shop and make a living at Surin Beach, with appropriate taxes being paid to the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor).
However, subsequent changes by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had abolished these rights which saw shops at the site demolished and notice boards installed detailing the closure and restrictions.
The letter further explained that during COVID-19 villagers who were desperate to provide for their families had returned to the site to sell goods to residents and the few tourists stranded in Phuket at the time.
However, shortly afterwards, a group claiming to be from the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the political arm of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, had intervened and ordered the vendors to vacate, despite not possessing or presenting any form of official documentation or identity cards to the merchants.
It was also stated that the same ISOC team were scheduled to return to the site again today to demolish any shop structures that were still remaining.
As such, the group request assistance from Governor Sophon in the following areas:
1. To cancel Provincial Order No. 1/2014, Provincial Order No. 1/2015, Provincial Order No. 1/2016, and Provincial Order No. 2/2016.
2. For the Governor to issue an immediate order to delay the demolition of the shops until there is an alternative solution.
3. To include the villagers in discussions relating to an appropriate solution. The villagers are ready to cooperate with local government to establish a satisfactory plan whereby shops are allocated and taxes are then paid fairly and correctly.
The delegation further explained that the fair allocation of space for them to operate in would be a major advantage for tourists in the local area too and that taxes paid from their business would help further develop the areas around Surin Beach.
Regulation on the use of public toilets and similar facilities also needs to be clarified, they added.
After receiving the letter yesterday and in response, Governor Sophon explained that he needed to thoroughly check all the facts and liaise with all relevant departments to ensure all parties and operations are in accordance with related laws and regulations.
Governor Sophon spent the majority of yesterday conducting meetings with relevant government officials as he officially declared his plans for the future development of Phuket.