Phuket beaches to be 'restored'

Thailand's environment minister said the government will press ahead with efforts to reclaim illegally occupied beach and forest land in Phuket, including possible demolitions, even as some private parties seek protection from the Administrative Court.

Speaking at Government House on July 14, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin said Phuket encroachment cases were being handled in two groups: one involving the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), and another involving the Royal Forest Department (RFD).

He said the cases cover beach areas including Nui Beach and Freedom Beach. In the DNP-related cases, officials had sought permission to put up notices at two large hotels whose owners had fought the cases for more than a decade before accepting the court rulings. The operators were given about one month to remove the structures, and the deadline on the demolition notice was July 18, 2026. If they did not comply, authorities would carry out demolition under the law.

Earlier, Mr Suchart ordered DNP officials, Sirinat National Park and the Phuket Legal Execution Office to enforce court rulings in two cases. One involves a 13-rai site in tambon Sakhu, where the Supreme Court ordered the revocation of a land-use certificate and the demolition of 39 hotel and villa structures. The other concerns a 12-rai plot in tambon Choeng Thale.

Suchart said court orders must be followed. He added that the law used by the DNP was stricter than the RFD's law and allowed direct demolition action.

He said another part of the beach problem involved long-term occupiers who had been collecting beach entrance fees and earning hundreds of thousands of baht a day. He described the issue as one of private benefit and said no investor was bigger than the law. He said the state would reclaim the land and fight the cases through legal channels.

The minister said he had support from the directors-general of both agencies and that the effort required cooperation from all civil servants. He added that two Phuket agency chiefs had been reassigned, saying any official who felt uncomfortable or worried about safety could request a transfer.

On cases under the RFD, Suchart said some private parties were refusing to accept the action and were continuing to fight. He said authorities already knew the land occupation was illegal and could not allow public land to be treated as private property.

Suchart said he had received reports that some private parties had petitioned the Administrative Court for protection after officials posted demolition notices, in an effort to delay the action. He said the government had all the evidence and would present it in court. He added that the court would consider the evidence and noted that related cases had already led to imprisonment in 2018, 2019 and 2024. He also said the land-use certificates involved were Nor Sor 3 papers that had already been revoked, meaning the land was forest land.

He said the private parties had been collecting beach entrance fees for more than a decade and were still doing so while the court process was pending, adding that waiting a few more days for the court to examine the case would make little difference.

Asked whether both groups of cases could be resolved, Suchart said the media should watch the outcome. He said some people may have bought land without knowing it was illegal, and those cases should be addressed by accepting the facts. But he said those who knew the land was illegal and still tried to keep it would face the full legal process.

Asked whether those involved were mainly officials or influential figures, Suchart said in some beaches the visible actors were not the real power behind the cases, and that authorities were trying to identify everyone involved.