BANGKOK, 6 October, 2014 The Royal Thai Army has confiscated nearly 100,000 rai of protected forest land in Nakornratchsima, which has been illegally claimed by encroachers, says Colonel Sommai Boosaba, the 2nd Army Region operations chief-of-staff.
Most of the forest land in this area normally falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Forestry and Department of National Parks. However, vast stretches of the land have been taken over by influential groups of people.
Rumors have it that these influential groups are now banding together to hunt down forest officials who were responsible for returning the encroached land to the public. To ensure the safety of these forest officials, Colonel Sommai has ordered full protection and security for them.
He has also said that the operations had been carried out for the interest of the public and that no particular individuals or groups were singled out.
