CityNews – Another café that occupies parts of a river in Mae Rim has been partially closed just one month after opening.
Jungle de Café, a coffee shop in the Pongyang Zipline and Jungle Coaster, Mae Rim was identified as encroaching out over a protected river in a YouTube video with the caption “a chill café in Mon Cham”.
The authorities investigated the case yesterday, January 9th, with a team that included the Mae Rim Mayor, Forest Resource Management Office 1 (Chiang Mai), Chiang Mai Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, Chiang Mai Land Office Mae Rim Branch, police and military officers.
The authorities measured the land being used by the cafe and compared it to the title deed of the land owned by the zipline company and found that a bridge and seats out over the water extend beyond the title deed boundaries into protected land.
Aranya Tarin, the executive manager of Pongyang Zipline and Jungle Coaster reportedly said that the bridge was built to bring more customers to the café. She added that she has been misunderstood that the area was still in her title deed’s boundaries so she was not concerned about the encroachment issue, plus, the stream has been drought until this year so she did not file for a construction permit. She confirmed that she had no intention of breaking any law and will do her best to cooperate.