Report alleges influential networks profiting from encroached Phuket beaches
A Thai media report, citing a local government source, says influential networks have encroached on public beaches and land in Phuket, using legal loopholes, business interests and alleged official connections to profit from the areas.
Public beaches in Phuket, including Nui Beach and Freedom Beach, have been heavily encroached on by influential business groups exploiting legal loopholes and weak enforcement, according to a report by Thairath Online citing a local government source.
The report said land and beach occupation in Phuket has been a long-running problem driven by the encroachment of public land and reserved forest areas by investors and other powerful figures, alongside the expansion of the real estate sector and the money generated from local development. It said the trend has pushed local people out and increased pressure on the state to reclaim forest land and public beaches.
A local official source quoted by the report said the so-called "Phuket mafia" often does not take the form of violent gangs, but rather well-connected and well-funded figures able to gain access to public land. The source said most of the groups involved were Thai investors from both inside and outside the province.
According to the report, beaches without clear documentary proof of ownership have been among the hardest hit. It said investors had used gaps in the law to build structures, open restaurants and collect entry fees for private benefit in areas under forestry supervision.
The report also said some occupied land had changed hands repeatedly through verbal deals between villagers and investors, despite there being no formal land title documents.
The source told Thairath that such operations would not be possible without connections and alleged involvement by state officials and political networks. The source added that many more areas were under similar occupation, but the issue remained quiet because they were not major tourist sites.
The report said internal conflict among senior officials had also affected land management in Phuket by creating divisions within the state apparatus.
It added that the prime minister had visited Phuket several times to follow up on efforts to restore order in society and tourism, and had instructed authorities to crack down decisively on mafia groups and those behind public land encroachment.
Thairath said that on June 15, 2026, the Interior Ministry ordered the transfer of provincial executives, with the list including Phuket's governor and two deputy governors. The order took effect on June 16, 2026, amid reports it was intended to resolve internal conflict and clear the way for a broader crackdown on land encroachment networks in line with government policy.
The local source said the only way to stop the seizure of public assets in Phuket was strict and impartial enforcement of the law against influential figures in the province.
