SURAT THANI , Thailand – At least 11 luxury pool villas on the hills of Koh Samui are scheduled for demolition in October, after their owners continued to rent them out despite official bans. Another 8 villas in Bo Phut are also facing orders to cease usage under Section K.6, prohibiting occupancy in buildings deemed dangerous.
Authorities, led by Pallop Meephian, Senior Legal Officer at Samui City Municipality, and Pol. Sub-Lt. Pongskorn Meepan, Director of Investigation 4 at the Ombudsman’s Office, conducted inspections alongside the 4th Army Region’s task force for preventing state land encroachment. Over 50 officials, including immigration, tourism, and police officers, joined the operation to close down two luxury villa projects on the hills of Lamai and Bo Phut.
The enforcement followed violations of the 1979 Building Control Act, with orders dating back to 2019, which halted construction and prohibited usage. Despite this, owners have defied the orders, continuing to lease the properties daily, monthly, and even yearly for significant profits.
At the first site in Lamai, 11 villas were sealed off with red and white tape, marking them as unsafe. The municipality had issued orders under Section K.3 (construction halt), Section K.4 (prohibiting use due to danger), and Section K.6 (further prohibition of use). However, several villas were still found occupied by tourists, including one rented to a Luxembourgian tourist for 7,000 euros per month (approx. 260,000 THB) under a 6-month lease. The tourist was unaware of the legal status of the property, prompting officials to inform them of the situation.
The second site in Bo Phut involved 8 villas, which were also sealed by officials. These villas continued to be used, despite similar legal orders. One villa, which lacked a building permit altogether, had already been fully constructed and was being rented out for both residential and business purposes. In one case, a French national was found renting an upper-floor apartment for 20,000 THB per month. Another villa was discovered housing a Russian family on a two-week lease for 200,000 THB, again unaware of the building’s illegal status.
Pallop emphasized that all owners had accepted the legal findings, as there were no appeals or court cases filed. The municipality now plans to proceed with the demolition of the 11 villas in Lamai by October 20-21. Meanwhile, the 8 villas in Bo Phut will face orders under Section K.6 on September 30, banning their use and leading to further legal actions.
The municipality has filed cases against those defying the orders, and the areas have been officially cordoned off as illegal buildings.
