Minister Orders Forestry Crackdown on 189 Rai Reserve Encroachment
Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suthichai Chomklin ordered a crackdown after officials found over 189 rai of forest reserve land in Nakhon Ratchasima being used to grow cassava, corn and sugarcane. The investigation, carried out jointly with the Department of Special Investigation and other agencies, confirmed the area lies inside the Dong Krasang–Lam Phaya Klang reserved forest and outside any land‑reform allocation. Authorities are preparing legal action under forest and forestry laws to stop the encroachment and protect the resources.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suthichai Chomklin said he had received a report from Forestry Department Director‑General Nikorn Sirorojananon regarding the joint operation between the Forestry Department, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Central Investigation Bureau and related agencies. The teams inspected and expanded the investigation into alleged occupation and use of land within the Dong Krasang and Lam Phaya Klang reserved forests in Ban 6, Takhian Sub‑district, Dan Khun Thot District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, covering more than 189 rai.
The inspection found the area planted with agricultural crops including cassava, corn and sugarcane. Officials recorded land boundaries and used aerial photographs taken by drones to calculate the area, which amounted to 189 rai 52 square wa. Comparison with the Forestry Department’s database showed the entire area lies inside the Dong Krasang–Lam Phaya Klang reserved forest. It is outside the land‑reform plot RF‑36 and no records exist of the land having been allocated for farming under the government’s agricultural land allocation program (CTS).
Minister Suthichai instructed the Forestry Department and relevant agencies to expedite fact‑finding and expand the investigation comprehensively, to work together systematically to prevent and solve forest encroachment, to act according to the law strictly, transparently and fairly, and to prevent repeat offences while preserving forest resources for the long‑term benefit of the nation and its people.
Forestry Department Director‑General Nikorn Sirorojananon added that the Forest Protection and Fire Control Division’s Special Operations Unit and the Phaya‑Phrai Special Task Force had been coordinated by the Special Operations Centre, Region 3 of the DSI and the Forestry Management Office 8 (Nakhon Ratchasima) to conduct further inspection and investigation. Prior to this, a complaint had been lodged with the special‑investigation police under Sections 14 and 31 of the Forest Reserve Act, B.E. 2507, as well as Sections 54, 55 and 72 tri of the Forest Act, B.E. 2484, forming criminal case No. 71/2569.
In the latest action, officers gathered field data and prepared additional investigation records to submit to the DSI investigators for inclusion in the case file and to continue legal proceedings.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Forestry Department affirmed they will continue to prevent and suppress forest encroachment through proactive work, careful fact‑checking and cooperation with all sectors, to ensure the country’s forest resources are properly managed, transparently and fairly, and to raise awareness among all parties to protect the forest, a vital natural resource for the environment, ecosystems and people’s quality of life.
