Nation Thailand
Koh Phangan land dispute raises questions over nominee businesses
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The programme “Truth Investigation” visited Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province on Friday (September 4, 2026) to examine problems linked to the growing presence of foreign capital and businesses in accommodation, restaurants and real estate, with a particular focus on the dispute over Laem Son Beach, a former mining area dating back more than 30 years.
Key facts
- Several decades after it became known around the world for the Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan in Surat Thani is now confronting another side of growth as foreign money and capital pour into accommodation, restaurants, yoga, real estate and
- After the mining concession ended more than 30 years ago, local people gradually occupied plots and erected buildings.
- Information indicated that the area originally covered about 12.8 hectares, but currents later carried sand ashore and deposited it, extending the beach and bringing its total area to around 19.04 hectares.
- One operator said they had begun developing the area in 1983 and held a valid business registration, but had “no land title documents”, marking the start of the dispute.
Summary
Several decades after it became known around the world for the Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan in Surat Thani is now confronting another side of growth as foreign money and capital pour into accommodation, restaurants, yoga, real estate and long-term land leases.
Laem Son Beach was formerly a mining area.