Land Department investigates Freedom Beach title document after Phuket inspection
Officials in Phuket are investigating how a NorSor 3 land document was issued over part of Freedom Beach, where operators were allegedly charging tourists B100 to enter state land.
Thai ministers and senior officials inspected Freedom Beach in Phuket on June 17 as authorities widened an investigation into alleged land encroachment, disputed ownership claims and illegal fee collection at the beach.
The delegation visited the site after a briefing at Phuket International Airport and was shown disputed areas by Phuket Forestry Center officials led by director Sampan Meesit. Officials then escorted the group down a steep 300-metre access road to the beach, where signs marked "seized areas" and where some operators were reported to be charging tourists B100 per person to enter, claiming rights under land title documents.
After the inspection, Polapee said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had identified parts of the area as Agricultural Land Reform Office land and other parts as protected forest. Despite that, officials found that part of the area was covered by a NorSor 3 land document.
"The Land Department is now investigating when and how this document was issued," Polapee said. He said the area consisted of both forestry land and agricultural reform land and that a NorSor 3 document should not have been issued there.
He said the matter would be referred to the director-general of the Land Department for a full investigation into the document's origins. According to Polapee, the disputed NorSor 3 land covered about the 300-metre access route where visitors were being charged entry fees.
Officials also referred to another operator identified only as "Sia Lek," who was also allegedly charging tourists to access the beach. They found railings around sections of the beach where umbrellas had been set up and fees collected.
"This is state land. Activities like this are illegal and unacceptable," Polapee said, adding that the inspection was meant to determine whether tourists were being exploited.
Officials said beach umbrellas and chairs had been operating on the beach before Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's recent visit. They also said previous inspections had been met with alleged intimidation, including reports of armed people seeking to discourage investigators.
Polapee said the reported shootings appeared intended to intimidate officers inspecting the area, and said authorities would proceed carefully while legal action continued. He added that all disputed land in the area was already subject to legal proceedings, with the Freedom Beach NorSor 3 documentation now under separate investigation.
The beach is designated as state land, while offshore buoys allow tour boats to bring visitors directly to the beach outside the monsoon season.
Polapee said the government's campaign was aimed not only at enforcement but also at identifying obstacles preventing businesses from operating legally. He said the delegation would meet business operators on June 18 to review licensing problems and whether anyone was demanding money from them.
He also said the government would act against criminal influence and corrupt officials. Responding to allegations that officials, including a Phuket deputy governor, had accepted bribes, Polapee said corruption thrived where legal loopholes allowed officials and private interests to exploit businesses.
