New cases of forest encroachment found
Ninety-three additional resorts were found to have allegedly encroached on forestland in Phetchabun’s Khao Khor district, a source within the operational team comprising Army, forestry and administrative officials revealed on Wednesday.
Thirty resorts in Tambon Khao Khor, 26 resorts in Rim Simoung and 37 resorts in Nong Mae Na were freshly accused of locating outside land plots specifically allowed for minority people’s living and farming and allegedly encroaching on the Khao Pang Kor-Wang Chompu Forest Reserve.
This batch was separate from the 135 resorts in Tambon Khao Khor (40 resorts), Rim Simoung (29), Sadoh Pong (45) and Nong Mae Na (21) that the team had finished surveying last week over similar accusations, the source said.
For that 135-resort batch, officers would next week start negotiations with the owners and occupants to get them to agree to demolish structures and vacate the land plots. If they failed to do so, they would be charged with forest encroachment, the source said.
The new batch of 93 resorts would soon face the same treatment, the source added.
