DSI accepted the case of trespass on Thalang College in Bang Khanun National Reserved Forest areas as its special case

DSI accepted the case of trespass on Thalang College in Bang Khanun National Reserved Forest areas as its special case

       This case the Thalang Technical College in Phuket Province submitted a complaint letter and requested the DSI to inspect the Thalang Technical College’s area approved by the Royal Forest Department for utilization of areas in the Bang Khanun National Reserved Forest, due to trespasses on the said area by persons claiming to hold the title document of the Royal Forest Department and the posessory right. The Director-General Pol.Lt.Col. Korrawat Panprapakorn assigned the Bureau of Natural Resources and Environment Crime by Mr. Bhurinphat Somboon, the head of the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Divison 2 to investigate and designated Mr. Jettana Hemmun, the head of the Crime Information and Intelligence Analysis Division of the Bureau of Technology and Information Inspection Center as a member of the inquiry officials team. From the investigation, it was found that Bang Khanun Forest located in the area of ​​Thalang District, Phuket Province was declared as the National Reserved Forest after the then Department of Vocational Education (The Office of the Vocational Education Commission) received the permission from the Royal Forest Department to utilize the area in the Bang Khanun National Forest Reserve, Thep Krasattri Sub-district, Thalang District, Phuket Province for establishment the second Phuket Technical College. The Office of the Vocational Education Commission signed a memorandum acknowledging and certifying to comply with the rules, procedures and conditions attached to the said Notification of the Royal Forest Department on April 8, 1997. The Thalang Technical College set up and completed the barbed wire fence boundary on 4 sides in April 2020. The survey of land holding by people in the Bang Khanun National Forest Reserve revealed that there are 265 people possessing and utilizing the forest area, totaling 310 plots, ​​approximately 2,698-1-53 rai, and benefiting from the cultivation of rubber trees, oil palm trees and various kinds of fruits. All people possessed the forest area after the area was declared as public land. The trespassed area is the national reserved forest and forest park regarded as the public domain of State. The said area is both watershed forest and virgin forest full of big trees scattered all over the area, namely Yang-Tong, Nag-Bud (Mesua nervosa Planch. Et Triana), Lum-Paw (Malacca Teak), Ta-Kian-Tong (Iron Wood), Ta-Kian-Hin (Hopea ferrea Lanes), Yang-Na (Gurjan), Sa-tor (Stink Bean), etc. From the said area, surrounding landscape such as the Phuket International Airport, the Andaman Sea, can be seen clearly.

       The DSI considered that such circumstance may be regarded as trespassing, occupying and possessing the Bang Khanun National Forest Reserve area and the public land, pursuant to the Forestry Act, B.E. 2484 (1941), the National Reserved Forest Act, B.E. 2507 (1964) and the Land Code, that has or might have a serious impact upon public order and good morals, that affects the environment and important national resources, that is a complex case required special inquiry, investigation, and method of evidence collection under the Special Case Investigation Act, B.E. 2547 (2004) and its amendments, and an offence with its nature prescribed in the Notification of the Board of Special Case (No.7) B.E.2562 (2019) on Determination of the Nature of Crime Regarded as its Special Case Under Section 21 Paragraph One (1) of the Special Case Investigation Act, B.E.2547 (2004). The Director-General of the DSI ordered to accept this case as the special case for further inquiry and establishing the guilt in order to bring the alleged offenders to justice

Dated September 28, 2021