PM Anutin Inspects Phuket to Address Illegal Beach and State Land Encroachment at Bang Tao and Freedom Beaches

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrived at Phuket International Airport at 10:30 AM on May 10, 2025, to oversee and monitor efforts to resolve illegal encroachment on public beaches and state land at Bang Tao Beach in Thalang District and Freedom Beach in Mueang Phuket District. He was accompanied by Interior Ministry Deputy Minister Worasit Liangprasit, PM Secretary General Traisulee Triserngkul, and other senior officials. Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthawatr coordinated the inspection.

At Bang Tao Beach in Chiang Thale Subdistrict, the PM received a briefing on the long-standing beach encroachment issue. The area had previously been cleared of illegal wooden bar and restaurant structures by local authorities, but since late 2564 (2021), new construction with more solid structures has returned, covering the entire beach area. Claims are being made based on some land title deeds and alleged owner consent. Local authorities have issued legal orders under the Building Control Act of 2522 (1979) to enforce removal.

In the afternoon, the PM traveled to Freedom Beach, a disputed area spanning Pa Tong and Kathu Districts, to monitor operations reclaiming encroached National Reserved Forest land in the Naka Mountain Range. Under Governor Nirat's coordination, security and forestry officials discovered clear encroachment, resulting in 23 cases filed under the Forestry Act and National Reserved Forest Act. The illegal encroachment covered over 57 rai of the forest's total 24,750 rai, representing a strategically important natural resource area for Phuket Province.