Thai Minister Vows to Reclaim Phuket Beaches from Encroachers
Thai authorities will demolish illegal structures at two Phuket resorts after giving owners one month to comply voluntarily, while also cracking down on beach operators who have illegally collected fees from visitors for years.
Speaking at Government House on July 14, 2025, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchat Choomklin discussed progress in addressing beach encroachment in Phuket, explaining that the issue involves two separate agencies. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation handles encroachments within protected areas and has obtained permission to post demolition notices at two large resorts after years of litigation. Property owners have been given one month to voluntarily remove structures; if they do not comply, authorities will execute demolition under the law. Suchat acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but emphasized that court orders must be carried out.
Suchat noted that a second group of encroachers has long occupied public beaches and collected fees from visitors—earning hundreds of thousands of baht daily. He stressed that no matter how influential these operators are, they cannot be above the law and must return the beaches to state control. He credited the directors of both departments for their commitment and revealed that two officials in Phuket have been reassigned due to concerns about their willingness to pursue enforcement or personal safety worries.
Regarding a private developer's recent filing with the Administrative Court to obtain protection, Suchat stated that authorities already possess all necessary evidence from previous criminal convictions dating to 2018, 2019, and 2020. He characterized most of the encroachers as intermediaries, some knowingly breaking the law, and declared that when voluntary compliance fails, enforcement will proceed to completion. When asked whether most violators are government officials or people of influence, he used the analogy of "small-time enforcers" who must have backing from "big operators" higher up, and pledged to find all those involved. He also noted that the developer filed the court case to delay the July 18 demolition deadline but expressed confidence that the court will rule based on existing evidence. Suchat concluded by reaffirming the government's full commitment to the task and stated that while the developer is suing, authorities will continue their work.
