PHUKET - About 400 local officials descended on Hat Nui in tambon Karon, Mueang district, on Monday to dismantle buildings encroaching on the shore.
The huge group was led by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin, who emphasised that it was a government priority to solve the encroachment problems that have plagued the tourist island for decades.
The minister said local people were aware of the government’s intention to return encroached forest and marine park areas of Phuket to the public, and they had challenged him to implement the policy on the beach.
“Fishermen who approached the beach were fired at or assaulted. This is not private property. It is public land. We cannot tolerate it,” Mr Suchart said. Influential people illegally occupied many beaches in Phuket, the minister said.
Mr Suchart said they had begun the dismantling of 50 buildings that encroached on Hat Nui. Officials would later guard the area to ensure they did not return.
The operation would expand to other beaches that have been encroached on in Phuket. It would take time because there would be legal disputes, he said. Encroachers would be ousted from about 300 public locations in Phuket.
A huge number of officials would be needed to end all encroachment at about 10 other beaches like Hat Nui.
“The bottom line is that beaches are public land supervised by the Royal Forestry Department and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. They cannot belong to any individual,” Mr Suchart said.
Hat Nui covered about 18 rai of land with a market value of nearly 2 billion baht.
After the offending structures were removed the government would develop the beach as part of a recreational forest area extending over a total area of 540 rai, Mr Suchart said.
