![Surin is Phuket’s swankiest beach](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/April/surin-beach-phuket-AP-TRAVEL-b.jpg?imwidth=680)
Tourists dismayed by demolitions at Thai beach favoured by Rihanna
![Surin is Phuket’s swankiest beach](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/April/surin-beach-phuket-AP-TRAVEL-b.jpg?imwidth=680)
A long-standing dispute between Phuket's beachside businesses and government officials finally came to a head yesterday when demolition teams accompanied by Royal Navy officers and scores of police began tearing down stalls and shops from the shores of Surin beach.
![Issues of land ownership in Phuket date back to the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami when coastal land was gifted to survivors of the disaster](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/April/surin-beach-phuket-AP-TRAVEL.jpg?imwidth=350)
This means that holidaymakers heading for Phuket’s swankiest beach – a favourite of visiting celebrities such as Kate Moss, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Beyonce - will now find the sands devoid of facilities, with no sun-loungers or parasols available to rent, no beachside massage salas and nowhere to eat. It’s an area also known for its hip beach clubs, all of which have now been given the chop; upmarket Catch, a go-to spot for the last decade, has been reduced to rubble, as have Bimi and Zazada.
Phuket’s Vice Governor, Chokdee Amornwat, was quoted in the local publication Phuket News as saying that it was important for visitors to understand that the intention is not to destroy Phuket but to “put things right” and “honour the royal family”. He added, “Surin Beach is only a part of the whole beach project. Next will be demolitions at Leypang and Layan beaches on April 27.”
![Rihanna is one of many celebrities to have visited Surin](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/April/rihanna.jpg?imwidth=350)
However, despite these assurances from local government officials that the buildings are being destroyed to improve the natural beauty of the area, any visitors currently in Phuket or arriving anytime soon will find Surin beach to be more of a building site than bathing beauty.
Holidaymakers were dismayed by the events. British expat, Annabel Fox, a regular visitor from her home in Singapore said: “I can’t believe that all the fabulous beach clubs and restaurants on beautiful Surin beach have gone. It was one thing when they pushed back businesses from the sand last year - it looked pretty good after that. But removing all the clubs, restaurants and facilities just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Issues of land ownership in Phuket date back to the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami when coastal land was gifted to survivors of the disaster. But over the years sections have been bought, sold, leased and had deeds transferred under the table.
![Visitor to Surin may now have trouble renting a sun-lounger](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/April/surin.jpg?imwidth=350)
Visitors to other parts of Thailand need not worry about the state of their sandy square-footage though. Elsewhere, on the islands of Koh Samui and the resort town of Hua Hin for example, beach business continues as normal, with sunbeds, jet ski vendors, restaurants, clubs and even hotels spilling down onto the sands.
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