The Director of the DNP, Damrong Pidetch, was in Phuket today (September 12) to follow up on the investigations into 12 private properties, property developments and resorts.
He said the investigation of land encroachment into the park could be expected to continue on past his retirement at the end of this month.
The Sirinart Marine Park covers more than 50,000 rai, about four fifths of which is ocean, the reamining fifth being on land. Of that 10,000 rai, around 3,500 rai is suspected to have been encroached upon, Mr Damrong said.
The deadline for completion of the investigations into the 12 sites, totalling around 500 rai, will be extended to September 25, because of a delay in surveying the park boundary. Mr Damrong orginally gave his investigators until next Saturday (September 15) to finish their work.
But Mr Damrong said he would now extend the investigation to the other 3,000 rai of supposedly encroached land by setting up the 400 teams of officials before his retirement.
“I hope that the new Director [of the DNP] will continue the investigation,” said Mr Damrong. “[I am sure] he will because the issue [of land encroachment] is a hot topic and he must do something about it.”
During his discussions with his teams today, it was revealed that only two land owners, Cheuy Petchkul and Lek Sanguanwong, have been confirmed as rightful owners because it had been proved that they had registered land rights before the declaration of the Khao Ruak-Khao Muang forest preserve in 1964.
Ms Cheuy is the registered owner of five rai at the south of Nai Yang beach, while Mr Lek owns six rai of land in the north of the Layan area. The two are reported not alive anymore.
However, the investigation teams found that the land papers for three property developments and resorts were issued based on copies of Ms Cheuy’s SorKor 1, which suggested the deeds were not issued legitimately.
Officials are investigating whether Mr Lek’s SorKor1 might have been used in the same way – as a “flying” SorKor 1.
Officials have filed police reports against the owners of a private villa next to Trisara, the Peninsula Spa & Resort, Landstate Co, La Colline and Arcadia Nai Torn Beach for building on land beyond the boundaries of their land papers.
Within the coming couple of days, officials are planning to file another complaint against the Three Dolphins Co, whose building is allegedly exceeding their deed for 14 rai of land.
In addition, villagers from Saku Moo 5, who earn their lives on Nai Yang Beach, handed a complaint letter to Mr Damrong today (September 12) to urge him to look at the area of Nai Yang Beach.
A representative of the villagers, Chaweng Udomlak, claimed that a family of a local politician had built a number of small hotels on Nai Yang beach and had security guards chasing villagers off from the sand in front of his hotels.
“They said they have land papers,” said Mr Chaweng. “But we’re not sure if they are legal. So we want the director to help us looking through it.”
The hotels were built in 2009, but it was not until this year that the owner had started blocking people other than guests from walking past on the beach.
All beaches in Thailand are public property.