Minister Clarifies Celebrity Land Not Forest Reserve, Orders 70M Rai Review
The user wants a short summary (1-2 sentences, 120-220 chars, max 240) of the provided Thai news article. The article is about Minister Surachai Chimklien clarifying that land linked to celebrity 'Got Athip' is Treasury Dept/Army land, not
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Surachai Chimklien addressed the land inspection involving 'Got Athip,' husband of Boom Panadda Wongphudee. Since learning of the issue through social media and news outlets, he dispatched the Ministry's Assistant Minister along with Nakhon Nayok Governor Channarong Wasiksiri and Defence Ministry agencies to verify the site.
The minister confirmed the disputed land is not forest reserve land under his ministry but Treasury Department property already verified and under the supervision of Army Region 12. The next steps fall to the Treasury Department and the requesting agency to manage.
Asked if the land falls under the Royal Forest Department, Surachai reiterated it does not; the inspection was simply to establish the facts. He added that 60-70 million rai overseen by the National Land Policy Committee (NLPC), where people have settled, will be reviewed. The government, under Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has approved a budget to create a land allocation manual for over one million households to resolve the 'people encroaching forests, forests encroaching people' deadlock. This will benefit communities in both forest reserves and national parks and support fruit exports, which now require proof that produce does not come from illegally cleared or environmentally destroyed land.
