The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has instructed the Royal Forest Department to relaunch investigations into three high-profile forest reserve encroachment cases which have made slow progress.
Under the NPCO's order yesterday, the department has to take another look at the Freedom beach encroachment case in Phuket's Muang district, the Khlong Mae Ram Phueng national forest reserve case in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bang Saphan district, and the Khao Phu Luang forest reserve case in Nakhon Ratchasima's Wang Nam Khieo district, said Boonchob Suthamanaswong, the department's chief.
Several department officials were suspected to be involved in the Freedom beach encroachment case in which title deeds have been issued on two plots of land totaling 65 rai in Khao Nak Kerd national forest reserve which is part of the beach, according to Mr Boonchob.
The officials were believed to have helped someone obtain the land title deeds on the plots by providing false information about aerial pictures of the land so it was not thought to be part of the national forest reserve, he said.
In reality, that plots of land should not have received title deeds because they were located on a steep slope and surrounded by thick forest, he said.
In the second forest encroachment case, 52 plots of land totaling 798 rai sitting on a protected forest area of Khlong Mae Ram Phueng forest reserve in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bang Saphan district have been acquired by steel giant Sahaviriya Steel Industries for a new smelting plant, he said.
The forest land acquisition sparked angry protests by local residents.
The Department of Lands in 2010 revoked the SSI's land rights document because the 798-rai plot sits in a protected forest area but no further action has been taken against those involved.
In the Khao Phu Luang forest encroachment case, the probes into 43 related cases had not progressed in several years.
Mr Boonchob said he informed the heads of the department's forest protection offices and units nationwide on Tuesday about the NPCO's policy to stamp out encroachment. A centre had been set up to run the crackdown.
He said the department was in the process of firing heads of three forest protection units in Lampang for failing to detain suspects who had allegedly constructed a reservoir in a protected forest area in Mae Mo district.