Members only of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, Vice Admiral Arpakorn Yookongkaew, has given a stern warning to individuals occupying land illegally in the Bang Khanun Forest near Phuket International Airport, stating that their buildings might be demolished.
The Royal Thai Navy intends to develop facilities in the protected space, together with the twenty second Anti-Aircraft Battalion, the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the Anti-Aircraft Command Unit, an Air Defense and Coastal Defense Center, and the 4th Naval Police Battalion of the Naval Police Department. Occupying three,763 rai of land in the forest, the proposed plan has spurred discontent amongst local families who declare they have been dwelling and farming within the area for generations.
During an inspection of the forest last week, Vice Admiral Arpakorn, accompanied by varied officers and representatives from Monsoon Garbage Thailand, found an unlawful structure on the land. The proprietor was granted 15 days to dismantle the building or face the Navy’s intervention, reported The Phuket News.
“It is our intention to know the information and then discover suitable solutions to the problems. We will organise joint forest conservation actions involving the space people in the future,” said Vice Admiral Arpakorn.
He added that those who are legally permitted to develop crops within the Bang Khanun Forest will be allowed to proceed their activities quickly. However, he cautioned that they would ultimately have to move out of the area.
Among the concerns explored in the course of the inspection was using dangerous pesticides by farmers cultivating crops within the forest. These chemicals have been washed downhill by heavy rainfall and have contaminated native waterways and watershed areas, resulting in appreciable problems..