Forest burners face 20 years in jail as parks shut high-risk areas nationwide

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has ordered the closure of high-risk conservation forest areas across the country as it intensifies a sweeping crackdown on illegal forest burning, warning offenders they could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of as much as 2 million baht.

The department said the wildfire and haze situation in several areas remains worrying, with the North still the most fragile region despite this year’s overall forest fire figures remaining below the crisis levels seen in 2023 and 2024 over the same period.

Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the department, said on Saturday, March 29, 2026, that authorities were pressing ahead with strict enforcement as hotspot numbers continued to mount. From the start of the season, covering October 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, officials had arrested suspects in 269 cases related to forest encroachment and illegal burning. Of those, 262 involved forest encroachment and seven involved illegal forest burning.

To prevent and control the situation, the department has already announced the closure of several high-risk conservation forest areas. Anyone found entering those areas illegally to start fires will be arrested and handed over to police for immediate legal action, with no leniency.

Atthapol stressed that the legal penalties for forest burning are severe. Anyone found setting fire to forests in national parks or wildlife sanctuary areas faces jail terms of between four and 20 years, fines ranging from 400,000 to 2 million baht, or both, under Section 41 of the National Parks Act 2019 and Section 99 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019.

The move comes as Suchart Chomklin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, ordered all relevant agencies to pursue forest burning cases to the fullest extent of the law, with no relaxation and no failure to act. The order underlines the government’s determination to protect the country’s natural resources and shield public health from toxic haze pollution.

Nationwide hotspot data since October 1, 2025 show a cumulative total of 57,143 hotspots. On the morning of March 29 alone, authorities recorded 2,336 hotspots across the country. The largest share, 1,368, was found in conservation forest areas, followed by 806 in national reserved forests and 162 outside forest areas.

By region, the North accounted for by far the highest number, with 1,312 hotspots, followed by the Central and Eastern regions with 41, and the Northeast with 15. The five provinces with the highest hotspot counts that morning were Chiang Mai with 480, Mae Hong Son with 247, Lampang with 104, Nan with 97, and Phayao with 85.

Authorities are also closely tracking conservation forest areas where hotspots have persisted for more than 48 hours. Between March 27 and 29, the highest cumulative totals were recorded at Sri Lanna National Park with 272 hotspots, Tham Pha Thai Wildlife Sanctuary with 247, Salawin Wildlife Sanctuary with 189, Mae Ping National Park with 179, and Huai Nam Dang National Park with 173.

To reinforce the warning, Atthapol cited a forest burning case in Phrae province that has already reached final judgment. The case stemmed from an incident on February 15, 2025, when a man from Ta Pha Mok subdistrict illegally set fire to forest land in front of Doi Pha Klong National Park. Patrol officers spotted the blaze as it was beginning to burn, managed to control it quickly and arrested the suspect before bringing the case to court.

On March 17, 2026, Phrae Provincial Court ruled in the case, sentencing the defendant to one year and four months in prison, suspended for two years, and imposing a fine of 143,000 baht.

The department said the key point in that case was that, even though the fire had not spread widely, the court made clear that the offence had already been completed from the moment the fire was lit.

Officials said the ruling should serve as a clear warning that forest burning is not a minor offence and that the law can be enforced at every stage. They added that anyone who still thinks of setting forest fires should abandon the idea entirely, because the penalties are severe and prosecution will be swift and uncompromising.

The department said enforcement officers would continue operating under strict orders, with no exemptions for those who damage the country’s natural resources, as authorities seek to protect Thailand’s forests and environment more effectively.