Fresh demolition notices posted for structures at Freedom Beach

The Royal Forest Department (RFD) has posted fresh demolition notices for structures on protected forest land near Freedom Beach in Karon, Phuket, giving those responsible 15 days from 9 October 2026 to comply.

The notices, issued under Section 25 of the National Reserved Forest Act 1964, cover about 9 rai, 1 ngan and 20 square wah of the Nakkerd Hills National Forest Reserve.

Forest officials said an earlier order requiring the occupants and their associates to leave the reserved forest, stop illegal activities, demolish the structures and address hazards and environmental damage had not been carried out. The deadline to comply and submit objections concerning land rights had also passed, officials said.

Samphan Meesit, director of the Forest Protection and Wildfire Control Division’s Krabi branch under Forest Resource Management Office No. 12, led the team posting the notices. They were posted at Karon Municipality, Karon Police Station, the village headman’s office in Moo 1, Karon, and at Freedom Beach on 8 October, followed by notices at Phuket Provincial Hall and Mueang Phuket District Office on 9 October.

Forest Protection Unit PhK.2 has been instructed to record the notices in the official police log at Karon Police Station for use in legal proceedings. Forest Resource Management Office No. 12 has also been tasked with estimating demolition costs and preparing an enforcement budget.

If the structures are not demolished within 15 days, the RFD will carry out the work and seek reimbursement from those responsible under the law.

The action follows a July announcement that authorities had ordered the demolition of 22 buildings and other structures at Freedom Beach after determining that they had been built illegally on protected forest land. An inspection on 18 March identified forest clearing at the site, while a follow-up inspection on 12 June documented the structures.

The July order gave occupants until 5 August to clear the area or face forced demolition. The RFD rejected a claim of long-term possession supported by land documents, saying the documents referred to land in Patong rather than the encroached area in Karon.