PHUKET, Thailand – Authorities on Monday launched an operation to demolish 51 illegal structures encroaching on Nui Beach, marking a major development in a decades-long legal battle over the high-value coastal land. Suchart Chomklin, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment led hundreds of Royal Forest Department officials, national park rangers, and local administration staff to dismantle the structures built inside a national reserved forest area. The operation marks the return of Nui Beach to the public after a 28-year wait. The dispute over the land dates back to 1998. Even after the Supreme Court revoked the land titles in 2014, a new claimant stepped in to run commercial operations. Despite forestry officials making arrests in 2018 and 2020, the structures remained standing until Monday’s enforcement, which officially marks the final chapter of the nearly three-decade dispute.
Authorities acted under Section 25 of the National Reserved Forest Act. The public beach has been returned to the nation under the “Phuket Model” initiative, which serves as a pilot project to address state land encroachment nationwide. The 18-rai (2.9-hectare) beachfront property is valued at nearly 2 billion baht ($59 million). The ministry plans to declare Nui Beach a recreational forest within a month to ensure public access and prevent future private encroachment. Furthermore, the minister has instructed legal officials to request the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to investigate the financial records and assets of the claimants, seeking to seize revenue generated from the unauthorized commercial use of state land. Prior to the demolition, a legal representative for Singha Petchkaew, the current claimant of the land, submitted a petition to forest officials requesting a stay of the demolition. The representative stated that an urgent petition for protection had been filed with the Phuket Administrative Court, arguing that the demolition should be paused until the ongoing ownership dispute reaches a final ruling in the Supreme Court. (TNA)
