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Samui Open for Business?


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2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Ah, I see they are engaged in that typical resort owners activity, illegally encroaching the beach. Who cares though- it's not as though anyone visits to use the beach, do they?

 

With <deleted> activity like this happening all the time they deserve to go broke, IMO.

I'm confused. I don't see any encroachment?

I do see the high tide making the beach very narrow, which is very common. Maybe you blame the sea for encroaching on the beach ????

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17 hours ago, khunPer said:

Probably not "illegal", as after the 2004-tsunami disaster all beaches around Samui has been checked by it's owner, the Marine Department. Everybody with illegal beach front structures needed to go through a court case and pay fine for illegal beach constructions, some owners even paid huge fines. Later the owner of land facing the beach could apply for permission to make erosion protection by the Marine Department, including full architect drawings and engineer calculations of stability, and in case of the protection were build outside the owners chanute-title land deed-edge, which might be necessary in some cases, an annual rent need to be paid to the Marine Department.

 

The size of the sand on Samui's beaches change over the year depending of sea current and monsoon, where the Western monsoon, that gives Phuket rain in the summer period, also change the sea in the Gulf and moves sand on Samui's beaches, whilst the typical north-eastern monsoon storm during November and December moves the same sand in opposite direction. Some times of the year a beach can be wide, whilst other time of the year the same beach can be extremely narrow, furthermore the tide also makes beaches narrow or wide, and during the autumn-monsoon water is pressed into the southern part of the Gulf, which gets has an in general slightly higher sea level.

 

The metadata for the picture in question is 30th August 2020 at 17:01 (5 pm), the tide calendar for Samui for 30th August 2020 said low tide at 07:27 with 0.96 m, and high tide at 21:19 with 2.22 m (the heights of water is predicted above the lowest water level). 5 pm is only 4 hours from 9 pm with a tide more than 2 meter over the lowest sea level, so a fairly flat beach like in Chaweng Bay could be narrow by that time. Perhaps you remember the changes of the beach width from your time in front of Ark Bar?

 

So it's IMHO very wrong to say that owners following the rules, "deserve to go broke"...????

Going by the photo the beach front is marked by the coconut trees, and clearly the resort in the forefront has built in front of the line of trees and have obviously cut them down where that resort is. The width of the beach in the background is CLEARLY wider than that in front of the sea wall and it should be the same all the way along.

 

Rules in LOS, LOL, LOL, LOL. Sufficient of the necessary to the usual suspects is all that is necessary to make rules go away. Hua Hin is a prime example where the big condos illegally encroached their properties below high tide mark. Rules obviously did not apply there.

I'm not sure from your post, but at high tide are the steps under water? With 4 hours to go before high tide I expect they would be.

 

Rules can be followed but still be immoral. Encroaching a beach is immorality of the highest order. It's stealing from the public that should be able to walk along a beach without hindrance from greedy developers wanting profit.

 

 

PS I have checked google earth and found a large resort "almost at the southern end of Chaweng" that is encroached below the natural line of the beach front. A perusal of the photos on the web site for that resort confirms my suspicion.

Given the lack of a sign on the photo in question that I referred to I can't say for sure it is the same resort but seems likely.

Edited by thaibeachlovers
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Talking to the guests that are coming from Bangkok, it is all about the ones that are good on social media to the Thais.

Ones on the list are always :-

Coco Tams (Fisherman's Village)

Black Club (Chaweng)

Ark Bar Chaweng)

Khao Horm (Bangrak)

The W (Maenam)

Pig island (Koh Matsum)

Angthon Marine Park

Tree House (Maenam)

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Yes, a few Thai friends have been talking about a trip to Samui and Ark Bar is top of their list. to be fair, Ark Bar is a great spot for a night out. it brings together all the elements of a “beach party” that people would expect, with convenience and cleanliness.

 

But into itself it’s not a one stop destination. 
 

Is GRAB operating as normal there now? I know car hire isn’t that expensive but I prefer not to drink and drive. So I’d prefer to stay at a nice villa or resort and just get a GRAB to/from the happening spots. 

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8 hours ago, corkman said:

Yes, a few Thai friends have been talking about a trip to Samui and Ark Bar is top of their list. to be fair, Ark Bar is a great spot for a night out. it brings together all the elements of a “beach party” that people would expect, with convenience and cleanliness.

 

But into itself it’s not a one stop destination. 
 

Is GRAB operating as normal there now? I know car hire isn’t that expensive but I prefer not to drink and drive. So I’d prefer to stay at a nice villa or resort and just get a GRAB to/from the happening spots. 

Grab is available all over Samui

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On 9/17/2020 at 7:11 PM, khunPer said:

As a beachfront owner and local resident I know the beachfront cases from Marine Department from first hand, and it's been done all over the island. The beach protection in the photo is newer, and made in accordance with the recommendations, which means in two levels. The back level would often be the land deed line, and the front with a permission on Marine Department that is owner of the beaches in Thailand. I have myself been through the system, including the court, and I also have such a permission from the Marine Department, including permission for usage of the raised level of the land erosion protection. My lawyer is also my next door neighbor with beachfront land, and our village chief also had beachfront land at that time, so I'm quite well informed. It was a long lasting lasting process; I got the verbal permission more than 10 years ago tfor a new land erosion protection, but I only got the official documents last year, as the Marine Department had a whole island to handle.

I am shocked and horrified to read that beach encroachment below high tide is actually legal in LOS. However, sadly, I'm not surprised. It fits well into the destruction of Thailand's beaches for, IMO, greed.

However, just because it's legal does not make it right. No wonder western tourists were fleeing LOS, IMO, before corona, if such atrocities are permitted.

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On 9/19/2020 at 11:34 PM, corkman said:

I do so very often laugh at the idiocy of the senitment and comment (from tousists) that tourism has "ruined" paradise. Do people expect to be the first and last tourist to ever visit a place? Do they nit realise that THEY are the cause of the plague, not the victim of it?

 

I do agree that tourism is a destructive (to the environment) pursuit, and thats before you factor in the ull effects of air travel. I am not proud of the fact that I contribute to the "plague", but I like travelling and so do it anyway. But I am not hypocritical enough to point a finger at "tourists", as though I am not one myself!

Tourism does not have to ruin paradise. In many countries that treasure nature, tourism coexists with "paradise".

Before, IMO, greed took over on Samui the beaches were delightful and catered for the full range of tourists from 5 * to no *. Sadly those days are, IMO, long gone.

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5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I am shocked and horrified to read that beach encroachment below high tide is actually legal in LOS. However, sadly, I'm not surprised. It fits well into the destruction of Thailand's beaches for, IMO, greed.

However, just because it's legal does not make it right. No wonder western tourists were fleeing LOS, IMO, before corona, if such atrocities are permitted.

Perhaps it's because Greta is right????, and sea level is raising extremely fast...????


However, you don't seem willingness to understand local culture, weather conditions, and facts, at all; everything that don't fit in your tropical island dream seems to be greed in your view...????

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14 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Perhaps it's because Greta is right????, and sea level is raising extremely fast...????


However, you don't seem willingness to understand local culture, weather conditions, and facts, at all; everything that don't fit in your tropical island dream seems to be greed in your view...????

Greta :whistling:

 

Sea level hasn't risen much since I was a lad in NZ, but perhaps sea level rises faster in Thailand. Apparently some Thai ministers think sea level rise is different in LOS than elsewhere in the world ????

 

It's a brave foreigner that claims to understand Thai culture, but greed is universal so I can understand it quite well. Weather never really stays the same so I'd never to claim to "understand" it, but I have certainly experienced a great deal of it in LOS over the decades.

Some countries realise that allowing building below the high tide level is not a good thing to do. Some countries actually try to preserve places of natural beauty instead of allowing rampant destruction of it. Sadly it seems Thailand is not in that category.

 

Is anyone claiming that encroached beaches are better than ones that are not- like Samui's beaches were in the 90s?

 

everything that don't fit in your tropical island dream seems to be greed in your view..

I always thought tourists went to Samui because it was a little bit of paradise- I must be mistaken and they went there to admire the sea walls below high tide instead.

Edited by thaibeachlovers
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2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Greta :whistling:

 

Sea level hasn't risen much since I was a lad in NZ, but perhaps sea level rises faster in Thailand. Apparently some Thai ministers think sea level rise is different in LOS than elsewhere in the world ????

You also don't seem to understand humor...????

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On 9/17/2020 at 3:11 PM, khunPer said:

Thanks for your thoughts, but unfortunately thoughts are not the same as facts.

 

As a beachfront owner and local resident I know the beachfront cases from Marine Department from first hand, and it's been done all over the island. The beach protection in the photo is newer, and made in accordance with the recommendations, which means in two levels. The back level would often be the land deed line, and the front with a permission on Marine Department that is owner of the beaches in Thailand. I have myself been through the system, including the court, and I also have such a permission from the Marine Department, including permission for usage of the raised level of the land erosion protection. My lawyer is also my next door neighbor with beachfront land, and our village chief also had beachfront land at that time, so I'm quite well informed. It was a long lasting lasting process; I got the verbal permission more than 10 years ago tfor a new land erosion protection, but I only got the official documents last year, as the Marine Department had a whole island to handle.

 

It's correct that in old time palms were used as deed markers, but often the palms were not precise compared to the satelite measures used for title deeds of Chanute level. My one beachfront marker palm was in old time set so precise, that I only own half-a-coconut-palm – I kindly let my neighbor keep all the coconuts – on the other side the palm is way inside the border line on my side. The Nor Sor 3 title deeds typically had a beach front line further out, than the later upgraded Chanute title deeds, which cut some meters of the older private part of the beach. I have two beachfront set of official cement deed markers, the Nor Sor 3 title deed-markers are 3½ meter further out on the beach, than the later Chanute title deed-markers (actutally 3.42 and 3.53 meters), so the Marine Department got 3½ meters of "my beach" when I upgraded the title deed to full ownership. However, in return they gave me permission to use the old marker line, that already had a very old, but also very strong, cement-ring erosion protection, and permission to build a new strong steel-enforced cement wall on the outside. Exactly the same could well be the case with some of the resorts on the beach in parts of Chaweng Bay. Furthermore old marker palms can be cut, or taken by monsoon storms, so you cannot conclude any facts from palms.

 

Samui is also divided into zones. The end of the bay with First House has from old time been developed before the long stretch, which can have caused other deed marker lines on the old title deeds. If you look at the second line of the land erosion protection of the photo, it's more in line with the straight beach line. It's exactly the same on the beach where I live, the difference between the older Nor Sor 3 title deed line, and the later Chanute title deed line, that follows the more natutal kind of borderline between beach-sand and vegetation. My land is also in a zone that from early days had buildings by the beach – my Thai neighbor's house was the first house on that beach – these land plots were often used by fishermen, so therefore they were marked in old time. Some of these areas with fishermen's  beach land got later status as "city zone", when Samui more recently was divided into zones with different building construction rules. My beachfront land is within a "city zone", which mean that constructions can be raised very different from other beachfront land, for example can buildings be constructed only three meters from the water edge, and two meters inside own land border line. Furthermore buildings are allowed up to 12 meters in height.

 

And yes, steps can be sometimes hit by water during high tide, depending of annual sand movements on the beaches. We see the same on "my beach", where some part of the year the beach cannot be walked passing some properties, build fully in line with official deed markers, without getting wet feet, and water hits the stairs up to the recently build pool-villas, whilst in other times of the year there are 20 meter wide sandy beach in front, even a wide beach to walk on during high tide. Unfortunately, nature are sometimes little unpredictable, and the weather gods probably don't care if they are "stealing from the public", so unfortunately I couldn't walk the last bit to First House that day I took the photo, because sea level was already too high by the part of the beach...:whistling:

 

wIMG202008301705_to-Fist-House.jpg.93b497139583591f3c166b6362b0b627.jpg

 

Your base your comments on too much guessing, and too little actual facts and knowledge. A lot has changed on Samui during the past decades, where you have not visited the island, and the changes are not only the visual hard concrete changes that you don't like, but there are also lots af administrative changes that visitors might not notice.

 

I don't care, and I don't mind, what the do in Hua Hin, but I do care and mind about what's done on Samui...????

Roughly where on the island is that pic taken?

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22 hours ago, khunPer said:

Same place looked from south during low tide, do you see the sandy beach now?

image.png.20242b7cfb1a487a751b8f812331fa32.png

Google "street view" image from 2015.

When I pay thousands of $ to go to LOS ( visa, flights, insurance, hotels, transport, restaurants etc ) I don't expect to be blocked from walking along the beach at any tide level.

Some things are IMO very bad in LOS,  some being

-the lack of consideration for pedestrians everywhere ( IMO because the officials responsible think only low class people walk )

-the legal or ignored destruction of Thailand's beaches.

It would not hurt anyone to leave the beaches walkable at all times. Encroaching whether legal or illegal is selfish and inconsiderate, and there is no reason to do so.

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13 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Look people - it is something called nature. It is almost unpredictable,

There are three beaches withing a few hundred meters of where I live. Samrong Bay, Tongson Bay and Plai Laem.

Some years, there is no sand on Tongson bay. Other years there are 10's of meters of beach.

Plai Laem at high tide - no beach in places. Low tide - no water for 30 to 40 meters at times.

When there is a big storm - almost no beaches anywhere.

However, on the whole, three really nice beaches most of the time. And now - very quiet and pristene. Tough on the local businesses though.

Not applicable in some cases eg Chaweng beach and Hua Hin southern beach, both encroached by human constructions.

The beach at Than Sadet vanishes at the southern end during the rainy season because the river washes it away- that is natural. The sand returns after the rainy season ends.

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4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

When I pay thousands of $ to go to LOS ( visa, flights, insurance, hotels, transport, restaurants etc ) I don't expect to be blocked from walking along the beach at any tide level.

Some things are IMO very bad in LOS,  some being

-the lack of consideration for pedestrians everywhere ( IMO because the officials responsible think only low class people walk )

-the legal or ignored destruction of Thailand's beaches.

It would not hurt anyone to leave the beaches walkable at all times. Encroaching whether legal or illegal is selfish and inconsiderate, and there is no reason to do so.

You should complain to God; or other weather- and similar gods responsible for the Moon's orbit, and weather related changes beyond man's ability, hereunder beach sand erosion...:thumbsup:

Are your home country's beaches always fully accessable during any and all weather conditions...????

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Given that Thais will continue to encroach because it's either permissible to do so or because law enforcement is lacking it's somewhat pointless continuing this particular discussion, but I find it ironic that ( before the corona ) farang tourists were apparently choosing to go elsewhere than LOS ( and I can certainly understand that they would ) because LOS just isn't attractive anymore, IMO, as a beach destination. They have killed the golden goose that brought the tourists in the first place. If they only want two week tourists that arrive for a tan and getting <deleted> by the swimming pool that's their choice, but it breaks my heart to see the destruction wrought just to make a few more baht. Prime examples are the once beautiful Bottle Beach that had a horrid concrete hotel built right in the middle, and the lovely old town of Hua Hin destroyed by a monstrous multi story chain hotel right in the middle of it. If LOS wants to go the Penang route and really wreak destruction that's their right, but don't complain when nature loving tourists vanish.

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2 minutes ago, khunPer said:

You should complain to God; or other weather- and similar gods responsible for the Moon's orbit, and weather related changes beyond man's ability, hereunder beach sand erosion...:thumbsup:

Are your home country's beaches always fully accessable during any and all weather conditions...????

Other than during a hurricane type storm I would expect beaches in my country to always be accessible at any time. Perhaps someone that has been to more of them than I can differ on that.

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10 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The beach at Than Sadet vanishes at the southern end during the rainy season because the river washes it away- that is natural. The sand returns after the rainy season ends.

I've been living beachfront on Samui for 15 years now, – and visiting the beaches for 19 years – and I can assure you, that both sea currents, and rivers, change the beaches and their sand annually, so the normally wide beaches sometimes are not walk-able, even where there are no cement constructions, and later within a year's period sand is normally back for another wide beach...????

 

That is, as @Tropicalevo said, called nature. Some places the sea however eats more-and-more of land, and such places human cement constructions can prevent total destruction, and make it possible for gentlemen like you, and ladies, to walk the beaches when the supreme beings allows it...????

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2 minutes ago, khunPer said:

I've been living beachfront on Samui for 15 years now, – and visiting the beaches for 19 years – and I can assure you, that both sea currents, and rivers, change the beaches and their sand annually, so the normally wide beaches sometimes are not walk-able, even where there are no cement constructions, and later within a year's period sand is normally back for another wide beach...????

 

That is, as @Tropicalevo said, called nature. Some places the sea however eats more-and-more of land, and such places human cement constructions can prevent total destruction, and make it possible for gentlemen like you, and ladies, to walk the beaches when the supreme beings allows it...????

While I was extremely angry at the below high tide encroachment ( chest height water ) at Hua Hin southern beach I could have accepted it had they provided a public walkway along it so it was still possible to walk along the shore. Of course, being inconsiderate and stealing the beach they felt no need to provide any public access though their properties, and built high fences to stop such.

 

I really believe that what has happened to Thai tourism is karma for the destruction they have wrought on once beautiful beaches. Unfortunately even karma won't make them restore it to what it was. That option has long gone.

They can sit in their empty hotels and restaurants and wonder what went wrong.

 

Should Burma be able to recreate the sort of beach life Thailand enjoyed 30 years ago on their Andaman coast, Thailand can, IMO, kiss goodbye to a return of western tourists to Thai beaches. Good luck to them.

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14 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Look people - it is something called nature. It is almost unpredictable,

"Water levels in the Gulf of Thailand are rising at a rate of 4mm a year, and for Bangkok, which is only about 1.5m above sea level on average, every millimetre counts. In this part of the city, where the land meets the sea, coastal erosion is also a constant threat. "

 

thaibeachlovers hasn't been in Samui for the last 20years during which time the sea level became 8cm higher.. That counts for a loss of more than 1 meter of beach if my calculations are correct.

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2 minutes ago, lom said:

"Water levels in the Gulf of Thailand are rising at a rate of 4mm a year, and for Bangkok, which is only about 1.5m above sea level on average, every millimetre counts. In this part of the city, where the land meets the sea, coastal erosion is also a constant threat. "

 

thaibeachlovers hasn't been in Samui for the last 20years during which time the sea level became 8cm higher.. That counts for a loss of more than 1 meter of beach if my calculations are correct.

Bkk is sinking because they suck too much water out from under it, so self inflicted injury.  Bkk is rich enough to build sea walls that work. If Uncle Fem doesn't know how to do it the Dutch will be happy to help.

 

As for your opinion of 8cm rise losing more than 1 meter beach I have to accept it because I'm never going back to Samui. I abandoned it for Phangan when the truck loads of reinforcing steel started arriving.

 

BTW, I only talked about Chaweng because the Thread is about Samui, but the destruction is wrought large on every nice easily reached beach in LOS. Than Sadet has avoided the worst of it as difficult to get to and by a national park. One knows which beach is next to go on Phangan if one knows to where the East Coast concrete road has been extended.

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