The Commander of the NREC, Pol Maj Gen Norasak Hamenithi, led officers on an inspection of six buildings and three pavilions found on the site. The two largest buildings each have eight luxurious sea-view rooms, a large hall and a walk-in safe.
In the large buildings large power cables run along the walls, with smaller cables branching off at right angles every two or three metres, suggesting – according to police – that, when finished, the electrical system will consist of underfloor cabling with sockets in the floor.
The site is ringed with two fences, and surveyors reported finding CCTV cameras on the higher of the two, which is about 1.2 metres high.
Entrance to the island is gained through a floating pier ending on the beach at the south end.
An engineer from the Koh Kaeo Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) noted that the buildings on the island did not conform with plans submitted to the OrBorTor.
The raid today was a culmination of a long investigation of the island by the NREC, which began last year after the NREC received a complaint “from an individual”.
Gen Norasak added, “We received information from a police detective that some casino brokers had been invited to inspect the island, with the intention that they might bring guests there.”
The Superintendent of NREC region 5, Pol Col Watcharin Pusit, added that research showed the land was owned until recently by the Bridge Rang Noi Co, whose board includes two foreigners.
One of those is an American, named by the NREC as John Kevin Baldwin, who is allegedly an owner of the Savan Vegas Casino in Savannakhet province in Laos.
Bridge Capital, apparently Bridge Rang Noi's parent company, is registered in Saipan in Micronesia, and describes itself in its website as “an international investment banking and asset management company specializing in high-yield distressed debt acquisition and structuring, equity and debt placement, investment management and real estate secured lending”.
In March this year Bridge sold the land to Kan Krao Co, a Thai company owned by three Thais, for B38 million.
Attached to the deal was a 30-year lease on the land in John Kevin Baldwin’s name.
But the land deed is suspect, according to police, and the history of the title deeds for the 15 rai of land, covering most of the island, will be another prime focus of the case; NREC officials will be expanding the investigation to include the origins of the land deed.
In 1961, reporters were told, the island was surveyed and registered as state land, meaning that people might visit the island but not occupy it. There was no population reported on the island, which was described as covered in forest.
At some point, however, a SorKor 1 paper was issued for the land, though this paper identifies the land as being in Mu 3 of Tambon Koh Kaeo when in fact the island lies in Mu 6, leading to suspicion that a “flying SorKor 1” may have been used to claim ownership.
On the basis of that SorKor 1, a NorSor 3 paper was issued in 1973, followed by a Chanote title deed five years ago.
A surveyor who came with the team confirmed that three rai of island is not included in the Chanote, but comparison between the deed and aerial photos seem to show that some of the development goes beyond the boundaries shown in the deed.
Amarin Suthisaksoaphakul, a lawyer for Kan Krao, who accompanied officials on their raid, insisted to reporters that the deeds were obtained legally.
“We are not worried about the raid today because we have evidence to prove our innocence,” Mr Amarin said.
He added that the buildings are for tourism proposes, not for a casino, as police claimed.
Though the owners of the land were not charged today, the NREC gave Kan Krao Co seven days to produce evidence showing it has no case to answer.
UPDATE: The Phuket News has learned that there are undercurrents to this story that have yet to come to light.
These involve embezzlement from Mr Baldwin on “a massive scale”, an upcoming trial of those responsible, and death threats against Mr Baldwin.
There are also suggestions that the police who raided the island are being unwittingly used by Mr Baldwin’s opponents to put pressure on him to back away from legal action.
Although the police theorised that a casino was being built on the island, they uncovered no concrete evidence to back the theory.
The Phuket News will be following a number of leads in order to uncover details.