In a recent development, the director of Khao Kho National Park has been reassigned to a passive role, and an intensive investigation has been initiated after it was discovered that multiple resorts were illegally expanding into a protected forest area within Phetchabun province.
Acting on a tip-off, a surprise inspection was spearheaded by the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), alongside park chief Prasan Iadsang this past Thursday. Their inspection zeroed in on Pha Hua Sing, locally known as the ‘lion head cliff’, a distinctive terrain that forms part of the protected national park.
During their scrutinizing inspection, the team uncovered two resort properties that were unlawfully encroaching on the park’s territory. One of them, named Phu Thap Boek Suansawan, was located just about 200 metres from the precipice of the Pha Hua Sing, spanning over a vast 69-rai (equivalent to approximately 110,400 square meters) land allotment. The second resort, which goes by the name of Good View-Hot View Suansawan Phu Thap Boek, was found slightly closer to the cliff’s edge, only around 100 metres away, and featured an expansive 100-metre stretch of land earmarked for camping.
Swift action was taken to confiscate documentation pertaining to both compounds, and charges were promptly filed for discrepancies against forestry regulations, including unauthorized demolition and misuse of natural resources.
Atthaphon Charoenchansa, who holds the position of director-general within the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, emphasized yesterday the gravity of the situation. In response to these findings, the director of the national park was decisively reassigned from his active duties to a non-active role and will be stringently scrutinized by an investigation committee.
Building on this, Atthaphon also divulged that authorization has been granted for the dismantling of the illegal establishments on the park premises, echoing the department’s commitment to preserving the country’s valuable natural resources and protected land areas.
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