Thailand Minister Orders Enforcement Against 39 Structures in Phuket Reserved Forest

Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Sukhumbhand Chomklin, has ordered the Department of Forestry to continue strict enforcement against forest encroachment in Phuket, rejecting an appeal by investors accused of illegally occupying protected land.

The case concerns the Naka Kerd mountain range near Nui Beach, where private groups constructed 39 structures within a national reserved forest. The Department of Forestry previously issued an administrative order under Section 25 of the National Reserved Forest Act 1964, requiring the occupants to leave the site and dismantle all buildings by July 9, 2026.

The landholders appealed the order, but the Forestry Department and the minister ruled that their claims were unfounded. Chomklin said the government’s policy was to restore encroached forest areas nationwide, particularly in high-value tourism zones, to protect natural resources for future generations.

On July 17, Forestry officials, accompanied by local police and district officers, formally delivered the decision to representatives of the landholders at the site. The notice said the appeal process had been exhausted but confirmed that the occupants could challenge the ruling in the Administrative Court within 90 days.

The enforcement action is focused on the structures and land occupation in the Naka Kerd reserved forest area. The source did not state whether dismantling had begun.