Police on the picturesque island of Koh Samui swooped and shut down 21 luxury villas that were built illegally on the pristine Khao Ma Ngaen mountain, leaving foreign tenants scrambling to pack their bags.
Municipal, military, and ombudsman officials yesterday, September 17, slapped closure notices on the villas, which were among 46 properties constructed without permits. These villas had brazenly encroached on the mountainside in the Bo Phut subdistrict, a popular tourist hub.
Three of the 21 villas were occupied by foreign tenants, who were left no choice but to vacate. One of them, a Frenchman running a local cleaning business, had signed a one-year lease and was paying 20,000 baht a month for his slice of paradise.
“I had no idea this place was illegal,” he said as he packed his belongings. All tenants cooperated and swiftly vacated the premises.