Soldiers and authorities check on the legal status of restaurants built at Haad Rin on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani on Friday. (Photo by Supapong Chaolan)Restaurant operators encroaching on public space on Haad Rin beach on the full-moon party island of Koh Phangan have been given until June 20 to remove all illegally built structures. Soldiers, municipal and land officials who conducted inspections on Friday found 13 structures built on public land. Ban Tai mayor Theerayuth Plaisuwan said the municipality planned to clean up and renovate the beach area after the encroachment problem is solved. The beach is notorious as the site of raucous full-moon parties featuring thousands of inebriated tourists every month.

Source: Bangkok Post May 19, 2017 12:20 UTC