Phuket beaches to be 'restored'

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin on Tuesday vowed to press ahead with reclaiming encroached public beaches in Phuket, enforcing court rulings and removing illegal structures. He said encroachment cases fall into two categories. The first is under the jurisdiction of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), while the second, involving forest land along beaches, is being handled by the Royal Forest Department (RFD). The DNP has recently posted demolition notices at two large hotels whose owners had fought legal battles for more than a decade before accepting the court rulings, he said. The operators have been given one month to remove the structures. If they fail to do so, the DNP will demolish them under its legal authority, he added. Mr Suchart shrugged off a legal dispute initiated by a group of people who occupied the beach areas for years and made money by charging visitors for access, saying the ministry has sufficient evidence to defend its actions. He was referring to a petition lodged with the Administrative Court seeking protection. He said previous court rulings had already revoked the disputed land-use certificates and confirmed the areas were legally classified as forest land. Asked whether he was confident the remaining cases would be resolved, Mr Suchart said authorities have prepared legal procedures for every scenario and that he has received strong support from the directors-general of both the DNP and the RFD. The minister said some buyers may have unknowingly purchased illegally occupied land and would need to accept its legal status, while those who knowingly acquired such land would face legal action. Earlier, Mr Suchart ordered DNP officials, Sirinat National Park and the Phuket Legal Execution Office to enforce court rulings in two cases. One case 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. Another concerns a 12-rai plot in tambon Choeng Thale. Subscribe to our newsletters for daily updates, breaking news and exclusive content.