Resort used by Palang Pracharat over weekend may be on encroached land

PHOTO: 88 Garmonte Resort, Nakhon Ratchasima – Foursquare

Thailand’s Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is mulling the demolition of a venue where Palang Pracharat held a seminar at the weekend. The party has come under fire from opposition MPs about using the forest resort which has allegedly encroached on forest land.

Located in Wang Nam Khieo district in Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand, the choice of ‘88 Garmonte’ resort and the presence of Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan at the seminar, has been heavily criticised by the Opposition. Deputy PM Wongsuwan even stated to the media at the event that he wasn’t a member of Palang Pracharat but was considering joining.

The PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Varavuth Silpa-archa, is now looking into the case will try to resolve the conflict over the status of the land on which the resort is located.

The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation insists the resort was illegally built on land which is in the Tap Lan national park. Nakhon Ratchasima public prosecutors, however, have so far refused to indict the resort owner after they were told by the provincial land reform office that the land in question has been redesignated for agricultural use.

The resort, located on more than 4.8 hectares of land, was raided by park officials in 2012 and 2017 and charged with forest encroachment. Critics say the party’s use of the resort to hold its seminar amounted to supporting the illegal resort.

SOURCE: Thai PBS

PHOTO: Thai media interview Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan who attended the weekend seminar in Nakhon Ratchasima – Bangkok Post