Nui Beach land claimant ordered to explain alleged forest encroachment
Officials inspecting Nui Beach in Karon ordered a land claimant to explain alleged encroachment on national forest reserve land and to remove structures under the National Forest Reserve Act.
Forestry officials have ordered a man claiming possession of land at Nui Beach in Karon to clarify alleged encroachment on national forest reserve land and to demolish structures found there, following a multi-agency inspection on June 10.
The operation took place at Nui Beach on Soi Laem Mum Nok and was later detailed in a June 14 social media post by the STRONG Anti-Corruption Club of Thailand. The inspection was led by Pol Lt Col Pongsakorn Meepanthu, Director of Investigation Division 4 of Investigation Bureau 4, and Ombudsman investigator Phumikhanit Jiamonukulkit.
They were joined by officials from the Phuket provincial administration, Phuket Provincial Police, Karon Police, Forest Management Office 12 (Krabi Branch), the Phuket Land Reform Office and Karon Municipality.
Authorities said the investigation followed complaints from local residents alleging that influential individuals had encroached on land within the Nakorn Khet Mountain Range National Forest Reserve, built structures illegally and blocked access to a public beach area.
Officials said the Supreme Court had already revoked rights to the disputed land in 2014, but that alleged encroachment and occupation had continued.
During the inspection, forestry officers met a man identified as Singha "Laem Singh" Paisanvorachai, also referred to as Kittipop Pengkaew, who claimed to be the owner or possessor of the plot. Officials told him that the Director-General of the Department of Forestry had ordered him to explain the facts of the alleged encroachment and had also issued a demolition order under Section 25 of the National Forest Reserve Act.
Police and administrative officers were present as witnesses and to provide security during the operation.
According to sources from Forest Management Office 12, applications have been submitted seeking permission to use land in the Nui Beach area, which is within the national forest reserve. The Department of Forestry has asked the regional office to survey the area and submit recommendations to the committee considering those applications.
The Ombudsman’s office said it would coordinate with relevant agencies and consider legal action based on evidence gathered during the inspection.
Officials reported that tourists were still visiting Nui Beach as usual during the field survey.
The action is part of a wider provincial crackdown on illegal occupation of state land in Phuket. Earlier this month, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin ordered faster progress on more than 28 encroachment cases in Sirinat National Park and said demolition work at Freedom Beach and Nui Beach was expected to begin in July.
