Land grabs take heavy toll

       This resort island has no more land left for development after about 5,000 rai has been encroached upon, the Phuket Natural Resources and Environment Office says.
       Office chief Phobphol Sirilaksanaphong said authorities were taking action against the encroachers through negotiations or crackdowns on illegal properties.
       Encroachment had spread to beachside land that is apparently public property, Mr Phobphol said, adding individual houses and housing projects had sprung up on beaches next to roads that lead to major tourist attractions.
       Some houses and buildings had been built on high land despite a law prohibiting construction on land 80 metres above sea level, he said.
       Construction permission had been granted by the local administration body and without stringent law enforcement.No legal action had been taken against them, Mr Phobphol said.
       Aside from the legal aspect of building on high land, the safety issue was something to be worried about, he said.
       Phuket's soil is mainly marl and the province has lots of rain, while quakes occur more frequently than in other parts of the country, he said.
       Heavy rain or a quake could lead to a devastating landslide, he said.
       Thanan Tanphaiboon, president of the Phuket real estate developers association, said illegal land ownership by foreigners through Thai nominees was nothing new. The government should deal with the problem by considering allowing foreigners to develop land in the province and tax them, he said.