Five children removed from Cha-am forest shelter in welfare check
Cha-am officials visited a privately owned forest area in Sam Phraya subdistrict, Phetchaburi, yesterday, February 19, to assist five children living with family members in a temporary shelter, after concerns were raised about their living conditions and welfare.
Kaew Khongwong, Cha-am District Chief, led the visit, along with district officials, Phetchaburi social development staff, local administrators, public health workers, the kamnan and village heads, and Cha-am police.
According to officials, the children were living in unsafe conditions, with no electricity or tap water and relying on well water for everyday use and drinking.
Concerns were also raised about the children’s care after officials said the parents had behaviour linked to drugs and theft, questioning their suitability as caregivers.
The children were then temporarily separated from their parents and taken to Cha-am Police Station.
The family had previously been reported in the news in late 2022, when they were found living in an abandoned building beside the Bypass–Pranburi road, also without electricity or tap water. At that time, several agencies stepped in to help secure housing and support a fresh start.
Afterwards, the parents were found to have stolen from an employer and become involved with drugs, and were asked to leave the area. They then moved to build a makeshift shelter in the forest, where nine people were later found to be living.
DailyNews reported that the five children attend Wat Chang Tang Krajat School and are currently in Prathom 3, Prathom 1 and kindergarten, according to the school’s director, Ubon Rueangthap.
She said the children are well behaved and keen to learn, but had not attended school over the past month after a fire damaged their uniforms, adding that the school had continued to monitor their situation.
Dutsadee Khumraksa, head of the Phetchaburi Provincial Child and Family Home, said the children would enter the legal child protection process after being separated from their parents.
This would include arranging suitable accommodation, supporting their education and ensuring access to basic utilities. It would also involve assessing long-term assistance for the family to help the children live safely and with stability, said Dutsadee.
Elsewhere, a woman in Chumphon was arrested along with four others after she was found taking methamphetamine with her current and former partners, all while her young child sat beside them. The boy was handed over to his biological grandfather, with welfare officers to continue monitoring his well-being.
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