Thailand Orders Crackdown on Chinese Firm Encroaching Public Waterway
Thai authorities have launched a crackdown on a Chinese-invested factory illegally expanding into a public waterway in Rayong, with nearly 7,000 square meters of encroached state land seized for prosecution. Officials found soil dumping, un
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchat Chomklin has ordered the Royal Forestry Department to coordinate with the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and other agencies to aggressively suppress encroachment on state public areas and resources, aligned with Prime Minister Anuthim Charnweerakul's government policy emphasizing recovery of state land and strict law enforcement.
Suchat reported receiving updates from Forestry Department Director General Nikorn Sirorjanannon regarding operations by forest protection units and prevention centers working jointly with ISOC, the Rayong Self-Reliance Community, Mab Yang Prom Subdistrict Administrative Organization, and related agencies. The team inspected an area around Khlong Phu Thai (Khlong Sam Roi) in Moo 4, Mab Yang Prom Subdistrict, Pluak Daeng District, Rayong, following intelligence of Chinese investors illegally dumping soil and expanding an industrial factory into the public waterway.
Inspections on July 4, combined with satellite imagery analysis and detailed ground surveys, confirmed the encroached area was public land without formal title documents. Heavy machinery had been used to level and raise the ground approximately 4 meters above water level, with three damage sites totaling 4 rai 2 ngan 24 square wah (approximately 6,900 square meters). The first site showed soil dumping extending beyond the factory's land boundaries covering about 2 rai 1 ngan 5 square wah, with four illegally dug wells discovered. The second site showed soil expansion from the original factory footprint covering about 1 ngan 63 square wah. The third site revealed one pavilion structure and a fence enclosing the encroached area covering about 1 rai 1 ngan 56 square wah.
After the inspection, officials completed seizure records and collected evidence forwarded to Pluak Daeng Police Station for prosecution under the 1984 Forestry Act Sections 54 and 55, and the 1992 National Environmental Quality Promotion and Preservation Act Section 97. The department will pursue those responsible.
Suchat instructed the Forestry Department to coordinate with all relevant agencies to expedite case conclusions and prosecute straightforwardly to hold offenders accountable. "The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will not allow anyone—whether influential figures, investors, or capital groups—to illegally exploit state resources," Suchat stated. "If state land encroachment is detected, we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."
