The head of poultry giant Saha Farms will not fight an order to demolish 13 percent of Pattaya tourist attraction Baan Sukhawadee and has begun work to remove structures encroaching on public land.
Panya Chotitawan welcomed Pattaya Mayor Anan Charoenchasri, his top deputies and Engineering Department staffers to his mansion on Sukhumvit Road Feb. 22.
He promised full cooperation with the city and said demolition of various encroachments already had begun. He agreed to comply with Pattaya’s one-month deadline to clear all the structures.
But Panya also reasserted he had proper legal documents to show ownership and use permits for the land at issue. He said he planned to bring them to city attorneys for review.
In January, 11 of Sukhawadee House’s 80 rai of land were deemed to be public land, including landfill reclaimed from the sea. The land included gardens and salas and was encircled by a fence.
The tourist attraction also was accused of management sealing off a public road and running tourist shuttle buses on a waterfront pedestrian path, heavily damaging the public walkway.
The crackdown was seen as a major victory by Sukhawadee House’s neighbors who have battled against the rich and powerful Saha Farms owner for years. In 2016, the complex was found to be flushing untreated sewage across neighboring Kratinglai Park and into the ocean.
Pattaya officials acknowledged in January that Panya might fight the order in the courts, but told officials last week that he respected and would comply with the order.
