Officials say the venues are among 34 structures identified in a disputed area of public beachfront land in Moo 2, Cherng Talay. The remaining 18 structures are residential properties.
The businesses were named during an inspection earlier this month led by Rear Admiral Praphan Srisuvipa, Deputy Director of ISOC Phuket and chairman of the provincial fact-finding committee appointed to investigate alleged encroachment on public land.
The committee is expected to submit its final report to Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn in early September.
According to information presented during the inspection, authorities have identified 34 structures allegedly located on public land or forest land protected under the Forest Act.
Rear Adm Praphan said the structures under investigation include restaurants, bars, beach clubs, massage businesses, tour operators and other commercial premises.
ISOC Region 4 identified the following 16 businesses:
- The Wave Phuket
- Ember Steak House
- Maya Beach Club
- Bud Haven
- A-Loma Massage
- Reggae Bar
- Tiki Shack Bar & Restaurant
- MAMBA
- Yuuhi Beach Club
- Beach Pig
- Solis Beach Club
- ALOMA
- ALOMA Bang Tao
- Blue Ocean Restaurant & Bar
- Golden Fish
- Nomad Beach Club Phuket
Rear Adm Praphan stressed that the committee’s role is to establish facts, not determine guilt or innocence.
“The committee’s duty is to establish the facts. We are not deciding who is right or wrong,” he said.
He explained that investigators are examining land boundaries, ownership claims and the extent of development within the disputed area before reporting their findings to the governor.
The investigation centres on more than six rai of land that has become the subject of competing ownership claims.
Officials are also examining five land title deeds cited during the investigation: Nos. 22642, 22643, 34220, 34223 and 34224.
Rear Adm Praphan said some parts of the disputed area appear straightforward, while others overlap with neighbouring titled land and require further examination by the Phuket Land Office and Phuket Forestry Centre.
Authorities are also seeking clarification on areas involving waterways, drainage channels and land affected by tidal inundation.
Rear Adm Praphan said all agencies responsible for land administration, forestry, utilities, taxation and local administration must fully investigate matters within their respective areas of responsibility.
Addressing reports that some closed businesses had illegally connected to government electricity supplies, he said a recent inspection found no evidence that operators were continuing commercial activities. Electricity being used at the sites appeared to come from private generators, he added.
He also called on Cherng Talay Police and local officials to monitor the area amid concerns about theft from shuttered premises.
Business operators affected by provincial closure orders were again instructed to comply with suspension notices while the investigation continues.
The inspection followed a high-profile visit to Bang Tao Beach by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on May 10, when he pledged a crackdown on alleged influential figures, corruption and the illegal occupation of public coastal land.