The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is proceeding to re-organize commercial beachside areas in coastal provinces and to return public land to its people.
In addition to launching a crackdown on illegal airport taxi operations and street vendors on crowded sidewalks, the NCPO has been making changes to Phuket’s beach landscape. Over 100 local businesses previously operating along the beachfront in Phuket have been cleared out.
The administration has also set their eyes on re-organizing popular areas of Pattaya Beach in Chonburi. Ongoing issues of unfair usage of public space and the local influential mafia groups will be addressed.
In Hua Hin, authorities are combating the encroachment of structures on beaches in order to return them to their natural state. 52 business operators are to be removed as part of the ongoing effort.
With the backing of the NCPO, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife is also determined to reclaim some 2,743 rai of land in the Sirinat national park in Phuket illegally seized by encroachers and sold to estate developers. Park officials will tighten measures to oppose all and any attempts to claim ownership of the encroached land in national park or forest reserve.
The NCPO has already claimed success in evicting 300 encroachers from Thab Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima in a crackdown against illegal forest encroachment at the Khao Yai-Dong Phayayen forest complex.
Efforts are under way to evict trespassers from Pang Sida National Park, under the same campaign to protect forests and natural resources.
The move follows the NCPO’s mission to allow street hawkers to set up stands only in zones designated by police officers and to regulate taxi services in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
The NCPO also recently announced a new passenger van hub at Makkasan Airport-Rail-Link station, replacing the old station in Victory Monument.
