TRANG, THAILAND – Thailand’s anti-corruption agency inspected a hotel-style construction site in Trang province over suspected permit violations and possible use of public land.
Inspection triggered by tips and online debate
Region 9 of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) inspected a site in Bang Rak subdistrict, Muang Trang district, on 13 January 2026 following information about irregularities in the approval process for a hotel project. Provincial and district officials, the head of the Bang Rak Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, and NACC representatives from Trang joined the visit, which followed social media discussions questioning whether state agencies had properly fulfilled their duties. The NACC stressed that the inspection formed part of its preventive anti-corruption work and served to review the performance of local authorities.
More rooms than registered and partial demolition
Investigators found 10 guest units and two pool villas on the site, which appeared to operate as a hotel or short-term rental complex. When officials arrived, the pool villas had already been demolished, and furniture and equipment had been removed from the building with the 10 rooms. According to the NACC, a lawyer for the landowner said the remaining structures would be torn down within 30 days and the area restored to its original condition.
Discrepancies between permits, buildings and land title
Initial checks indicated that the building permit issued by the Bang Rak Subdistrict Administrative Organisation did not match the actual number of constructed buildings, with only eight rooms officially registered with the provincial hotel registry. Investigators also noted that the land title submitted for the permit already listed other permanent structures and that the hotel buildings were not erected on the plot specified in the application.
Review under building and hotel legislation
NACC Region 9 asked the Bang Rak subdistrict administration to examine whether the building permit complied with the Building Control Act of 1979 and other relevant regulations. In parallel, administrative officials were to determine whether the hotel registration had been properly carried out under the Hotel Act of 2004 and its associated regulations and announcements. The review was to cover the building permit under construction law, the hotel licence and registration, and the consistency of the structures with submitted plans and land titles.
Possible encroachment on public land
In addition, the Bang Rak Subdistrict Administrative Organisation and Muang Trang district were tasked with jointly investigating whether the project extended into areas designated as public land for community use. This involved provisions of local administrative law and Interior Ministry regulations designed to protect state land for the general public. Representatives of NACC Region 9 said they had already requested assistance from the Trang provincial land office to speed up the verification.
30-day deadline and promise of transparency
NACC Region 9 instructed all involved authorities to submit their assessments and findings within 30 days, in line with their legal responsibilities. Once the evaluations were completed, the commission planned to release the results publicly, aiming to document compliance with building, hotel and land laws and to clarify any possible breaches of duty by state officials.
Opinion: When concrete meets power
“A hotel goes up – and suddenly no paper matches reality. More buildings than approved. Structures beyond the property line. Parts hastily torn down before investigators are even finished. Was it sloppiness? Or a system in which permits are more flexible than steel beams? When anti-corruption bodies have to step in because social media spoke louder than government offices, it is no longer just about a hotel, but about trust. Do you think this is an isolated case – or just the tip of a very large iceberg?”
said KhaoSod English, source.