The military junta has told speedboat operators wanting to put their boats in the water in Pattaya to go to Jomtien Beach instead after soldiers demolished the Bali Hai Pier boat ramp.
Operators were incensed Nov. 4 that the military decided to demolish the ramp at Bali Hai at the same time it evicted them from parking their vessels on land around the jetty.
The National Council for Peace and Order gave no reason for its decision to destroy the ramp. Instead, the military said, operators now wishing to hit the water must go to existing ramps in front of the Siam Commercial Bank or at Jomtien Soi 14.
The military had ordered boat owners to remove their trailered watercraft from the Bali Hai Parking lot and surrounding streets, saying they were encroaching on public property. All moved by the Nov. 1 deadline, finding spaces on private property or mooring them offshore.
One disgruntled owner said he has had nothing but trouble since. It’s a long journey from Pattaya to the Jomtien boat ramps, he complained. And if they have to moor offshore, their boats will be damaged.
One byproduct of the forced relocation of the trailered boats – which sat unused for long periods – is that many are now up for sale. Even those that use their boats are throwing in the towel, saying the hassle and cost of commuting over land to Jomtien every day isn’t worth it.
