3 January 2008

sledgehammers out

3 January 2008

Getting down to some steel - actually looks quite strong for a temporary structure built on the crown beach.

I hope they plan to clean up the beach when they have finished.

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4 January 2008

Drills and steel cutters out.

I apologise about the picture quality, but am trying to do it without being too obvious as it might cause them to get upset more.

We do believe that this is a sensitive time and could easily be the time that anger and or retaliation gets sparked off.

It is difficult not to sit in the house and watch, so we tend to go out as much as possible.

4 January 2008

I couldn't hold myself back. While they are demolishing, they are also making cement and building up walls both inside and outside. I went down to the beach to take a photos of the recent work and they started yelling at me and saying I was crazy and should go away (actually much worse language but most of it in Thai).

The head builder who has been in many of the photos during the whole process came down to confront me so I took another photo.

I know I should stop, but I just cannot understand why they do not realise that they are to go and not to keep building new stuff.

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5 January 2008

After yesterdays confrontation, I went out early and took some photos. Papa does not come anymore as he is probably the same as me - angry at what is going on.

This photo shows how they have trimmed the "balcony" but still have no intention of taking away the rock wall they sneaked out at night to put up .. or the other columns holding up the main dwelling.

5 January 2008

They have disconnected one set of tanks, but still have the toilet inside so either they will truck it away, or they will put it to the other tanks or they just throw it over the side...

They obviously think this is it. They still have not realised that the agreement with Poo Yai Wit (which was confirmed by Poo Yai Wit the other day), is that they have to take away all of the bedrooms and toilets too ... not just trim the edges.

5 January 2008

The Tessaban has not issued them any papers yet and this could be due to a number of reasons - i.e. too busy over elections, Christmas and New Year or because they do not intend to do it. We will wait until after January 7 when they are supposed to be totally off the beach.

... and I will try to keep discreet to minimise confrontations - it's just too hard, I have a lot of pent up frustration and anger and I hope no tourist pulls out on me on a motorbike as I will potentially explode above and beyond what should be expected. I am not an angry person by nature, but can feel the tension.

5 January 2008

They continued the demolition during the day and broke up all of the large pieces into small ones. Some pieces they threw against the wall, others they just covered with sand.

We'll see how they look tomorrow after high tide.

5 January 2008

It makes an interesting contrast - the beauty of Big Buddha against the ugliness of the tin shack.

(sorry the picture quality is not good, I am trying to do things quickly and discreetly)

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6 January 2008

Well, the septic tank was broken today.

They did not empty it first so there was a bit of a smell as it emptied out onto the beach.

6 January 2008

So they covered the waste with rubble.

I asked the builders / demolishers if they were going to take away the rubble and they said it was not their job, I should talk with the owner.

6 January 2008

I also asked about the other columns and the rock wall that they put up secretly at night.

They said that they were not told to demolish them ... go talk with the owner.

As far as the builder is concerned, he has finished what he has been paid to do.

He is shown here between the remaining concrete columns stuck into the beach ... doesn't look too keen to take any more away does he...

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7 January 2008

This is "about 20 days" from when the Harbour board issued the papers regarding the squatters having to evacuate off the beach. No further progress on what can be seen in the photos for the 6th.

They still have large columns directly into the beach which support some living quarters.

They still have the rock and cement wall that they sneaked out at night to build which supports another bedroom.

The rubble is still lying on and buried under the sand.

The broken septic tanks and steel are just lying on the beach.

They have been doing some building work inside but for now the builders appear to have left the scene. Maybe they have finished demolishing, maybe they have no money to pay, maybe something else...

Aree went around to see Poo Yai Wit on his own accord. He said he went to complain about the rubble. He said that the squatters were just leaving everything on the beach and I was raking it up into tidy piles and getting Aree to cart it away ... so Aree complained to Poo Yai Wit that he was getting tired.

Poo Yai Wit explained that the squatters have been issued the papers by the Tessaban and have about 30 days to demolish all the living areas and cart them away. Aree forgot to ask when they issued the papers, but we are assuming it was in the last few days (otherwise why would they still be building walls over the weekend and why would they just trim the edges of the dwelling?)

Poo Yai Wit said he would get one of his staff to go around in the next few days and tell them to clean up the beach so Aree doesn't have to do it.

I sort of feel sad, I sort of feel relieved, I sort of feel scared.

We have been pushing for this for so long and just as it appears to be going the way we want it, it leaves very mixed feelings. We do not want them to lose money or to lose face, we just want them to go and have a good life in their new home, to be able to make a good living from the nice little sala bar overlooking a clean beach and a beautiful sunset etc. We don't want them to go away with a sense of hatred toward us. While we were not the only people complaining, we will be seen to be the major instigators so any anger or hatred is going to be focused on us.

So, 30 days from today is 6 February. 7 February 2008 is Chinese New Year and this year is a year of the Rat. I was born in a year of the Rat so hopefully it means good luck. Time will tell.

(according to Year of Rat...

Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were all born in the year of the rat. )

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24 January 2008

Nothing much has happened over the last few weeks.

However it does appear that the people are sleeping in the other house - all except one of the boys who is probably staying there to keep an eye on the possessions.

24 January 2008

They still have not cleared up the concrete rubble off the beach, and the high tides have managed to wash away the sand that they covered it with.

So much for the Poo Yai Bans request for them to clean it.

24 January 2008

They have done some minor repairs to the footing at the bottom of the step though.

2 weeks to go before all has to be taken away.

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13 February 2008

The supposed deadline of 6 February 2008 has passed by a week ago now. 

There has certainly been a clearing out of furniture etc from the dwellings, but no further demolition has occurred.  The concrete poles are still going into the sand,  the illegal retaining wall is still there, the 2 bedrooms that they were supposed to demolish (according to my understanding) are still there, the majority of the mess is still there (we did do some cleaning of it and the older son did spend 30 minutes one night clearing out some of the rubble on the beach), but essentially no major change from prior to the notice being given.

Aree will go and make enquiries with Poo Yai Wit in the next day or so, to see where the situation stands.

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15 February 2008

Aree went to see Poo Yai Wit this morning

Mr Poo Yai Wit was just as unimpressed as we were to see that they were still there after the deadline.  He stated that recently the Tessaban has been very slow to action a number of similar items and he believes it is because they are willing to accept some cash to slow or halt the actions.

Those were his words (interpreted through a couple of people).

He could be totally honest in his assessment or he could just be trying to push the blame away from himself.  I believe he is honest.  From what I have seen over the later part of this drama is that Poo Yai Wit tries to keep straight.  Also, with the elections coming up soon I believe that the Tessaban are probably trying to rake in as much cash as they can before the new administration takes over.

Poo Yi Wit is going to check with the Tessaban and get back to us.

I don't believe that the squatters have enough money to keep the Tessaban away for too long - they are certainly not raking in much from the bar.  Maybe they are spending the wages from their jobs at 4 Seasons etc to try and hold onto it longer.  I still cannot understand why unless they think that there will be some change in the situation that gives them legal right to stay.  At this point in time, I am just putting it down to the fact it is not a high priority for the officials at the moment, so is just moving at the slow pace that can often occur here on Samui.

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23 March2008

Nothing much has happened over the last few months.

We have been trying to stay calm etc, but this morning it caused a bit of a stir at home so my wife went off to wash her hair and get a facial and I decided to take some pictures and put them on the web page. Both of us trying to release some frustration.

23 March 2008

They are still there, they are still living in the rooms, they are still putting their raw sewerage onto the beach, they are still adding walls and windows, they are still wrapped around a power pole etc.

23 March 2008

They have not finished taking the columns out of the beach and have not cleaned up the beach where they dumped the concrete rubble

23 March 2008

Although they did go and get some of the sand off the beach to tidy up the front of their place.

23 March 2008

They did disconnect the large pipe from the toilet to the concrete tank on the beach. They have replaced it with a smaller pipe that goes to a new tank.

23 March 2008

They are using one of the old water storage tanks as the waste tank now.

23 March 2008

Maybe they thought that using a smaller pipe would be better.

The trouble is it keeps blocking and then it comes away from the down pipe and puts the waste straight onto the beach.

23 March 2008

Saves them having to undo the tap to release it onto the beach I suppose.

23 March 2008

They have ut up a nice fence to block access from the road side - good to see the standard blue pipe being used effectively.

23 March 2008

The illegally created retaining wall is still there, although a few boulders do fall away regularly (nothing to do with me, just nature).

23 March 2008

Washing hanging out in the bathroom window.

23 March 2008

We are still waiting for the authorities to do something about it. Some days we feel OK, but some days we feel very bad - like today when they were doing some more building and I made some innocent remark about how it annoyed me ... which sparked off my wife who screamed that we were supposed to be forgetting about them and carrying on with our life ... hence the facial and the photos...

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