Royal Forest Department orders demolition of 22 structures at Phuket’s Freedom Beach

The Royal Forest Department has ordered occupants to remove 22 unauthorized buildings and other structures from the Freedom Beach area in Phuket by Aug. 5, 2026.

The enforcement action covers more than nine rai of land within the Nakkerd Hills National Forest Reserve in Karon Subdistrict. Officials posted notices at the site at 10:30 a.m. on July 6 ordering occupants to vacate the area and restore the land to the state under Section 25 of the National Forest Reserve Act.

The operation was led by Mueang Phuket District Chief Siwat Rawangkul and included representatives from the Royal Forest Department, the Phuket Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office, the Phuket Forestry Centre, Forest Resource Management Office 12's Krabi branch, Karon Municipality and Karon Police.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin said the operation was part of the government's policy to crack down on encroachment on state land. He said the ministry would strictly enforce the law to reclaim forest land and eventually develop the Freedom Beach area into a public recreational forest.

The department said the land was inspected on March 18, when officials found forest clearing over about 9 rai, 1 ngan and 20 square wah. A second inspection on June 12 documented 22 buildings and other structures.

The order identified the occupant as Narinthorn Ruengratanawanich. The department said he had submitted objections claiming long-term possession of the land and citing historical land documents, but the evidence was rejected because the documents referred to land in Tambon Patong covering only three rai, while the encroached land is in Tambon Karon and covers more than nine rai.

The department also said records from a 2016 land survey showed that Narinthorn had previously acknowledged having no documentary evidence of ownership and had been informed that the land lay within a national forest reserve.

Occupants may appeal to the director-general of the Royal Forest Department by July 21, 2026, but any appeal will not automatically suspend enforcement. If the structures are not removed by the deadline, authorities will proceed with demolition, recover removal costs from those responsible and pursue legal action under the National Forest Reserve Act.

The Freedom Beach case follows similar action taken last month at nearby Nui Beach, where the Royal Forest Department ordered the demolition of 39 structures built on more than 15 rai of protected forest land.