The first, Malaiwana, was already on the original DNP investigation list. The second, Istana, was a new addition.
Led by Sunthorn Watcharadilokkul, the adviser to the director general of the DNP, and the head of the SNP, Cheewapap Cheewatham, the officers first surveyed the Malaiwana Beach Club on the west side of the road, accompanied by its manager.
With search warrant in hand, they then surveyed all 27 rai of the luxurious villa project on the other side of the road, to ensure that the development did not extend beyond the boundaries of its land paper.
As they examined the villas that feature 180-degree ocean views and some with prices of over B100 million, the team found that they were built on very steep hillsides, possibly illegally so.
“It might be more than a 35-degree slope. Building on that is illegal” said Mr Cheewapap.
“From the survey, the land is totally inside the original Khao Ruag-Khao Muang national forest reserve and inside the Sirinart Marine National Park,” Mr Sunthorn said.
With just a small stream separating it from Malaiwana, the neighbouring Istana development, another luxury project that covers some 62 rai, was the next to be targeted.
Istana, which has just been revived following earlier problems, is being developed by Prism Estate Co, the main investors being Britain’s Earl of Warwick and Australian lawyer Michael Brereton.
Unlike Malaiwana, the steep Istana site is still heavily forested, as construction has only just restarted. Presently, the structure for one villa is nearing completion and work has started on a second.
After a lengthy discussion between the developers and the officials Mr Sunthorn told journalists that one of the investors said that the investors had never been aware that the 62 rai of land they had leased for 30 years was illegal.
If they had known, he told the DNP officials, they certainly would not have leased it. However, they denied permission for the authorities to investigate the land without a search warrant.
“The two developments are entirely within the [original] Khao Ruag-Khao Muang reserve and Sirinart,” said Mr Sunthorn.
He added that a search on the land papers for the Istana project had found no sign of an original Sor Kor 1. All the officials found was a request for a Nor Sor 3 Kor paper to be issued on the grounds that the original Sor Kor 1 for the land had been lost.
At that time, a committee had been set up to match land with lost Sor Kor 1 certificates, and this committee finally concluded that the land matched with the lost Sor Kor 1, allowing the issuing of the Nor Sor 3 Kor soon after.
However, the original Sor Kor 1, which was reported lost, was for 48 rai only, which became 84 rai in the Nor Sor 3 Kor.