Raining concrete in South Pattaya
Residents along South Pattaya Road were awakened Thursday by the sound of something much heavier than rain falling from the sky.
Pattaya officials halted work on the Boutique Pattaya Hotel after locals raised the alarm about bits of rock and concrete raining down from the building, which has been removing a number of illegally built floors.
“Some neighbors in the area alerted us today. So police and public works officials went down there and made them stop the demolition, because it’s unsafe,” Col. Apichai Krobpetch of Pattaya City police said. “If they can’t do it safely, then they can’t absolutely cannot continue demolishing it.”
The work can resume when until safety equipment is installed. If the construction does not pass another safety inspection, then its permits will be revoked.
Apichai said that no one was injured by the falling debris as of Thursday.
In May 2016, the Boutique Pattaya Hotel, then 13 stories high, was ordered to remove six floors built illegally. When demolition began, so did a regular flow of falling debris – for several months until the authorities intervened.
The building owner changed the contractor to complete the project to the tune of 2.7 million baht. That change apparently did not have the intended effect of stopping dangerous construction debris from falling.
Pattaya officials have fenced off the affected sub soi, Soi VC, for the safety of residents and tourists.
Source: Khaosod
