The inspection follows a violent assault at the beach last month. The assault broke out after a heated dispute over two claimed plots of land at the tourist-popular beach.
Police issued a statement to assure the public that they were working quickly in response to the assault. At last report, police had charged one of the main assailants, Chalothorn ‘Boy’ Chotipanang, with assault and at least three others were to charged for their role in the attack.
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum specifically made clear, in defence of allegations posted online, that police had no vested interest in the matter and were committed to taking legal action against any criminal offenses from either side.
Following up on the incident, Rear Admiral Tinnakorn Kanjantamee, Deputy Director of the Phuket branch of Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), which serves as the political arm of the Thai military, led an inspection at Nui Beach last week.
Joining the ALRO inspection team yesterday were officials from the Phuket Forestry Center, the Phuket branch of ISOC, Karon Police along with local district officials, Karon Municipality officials andPhuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee.
The surveyed land, designated for agricultural use within the Agricultural Land Reform Zone (ALRO), lies adjacent to Nui Beach and the Nak Kerd Mountain Range National Reserve Forest.
The dispute centres around conflicting claims to an 18-rai portion of the land.
Chalothorn ‘Boy’ Chotipanang, charged for the assault on May 23 and who acts as land caretaker for his father, Thana Chotiphanang, claims ownership of the ALRO land.
Singha Pengkaew, the victim of the gang assault on May 23, claims possession of the disputed Nui Beach plot.
The Phuket Provincial Police Special Operations Unit was also present to maintain order during the survey, the report confirmed.
Manit Eksuwan, a legal expert at the ALRO Phuket office, explained that the survey aimed to delineate the boundaries of the ALRO and forest areas to create a definitive map for resolving the dispute.
“Four key points were identified for initial surveying, and once the map is finalised, further action will be taken against those found trespassing in the ALRO area. The conclusions from this survey are expected within the week,” Mr Manit said.
Sorasak Rananan, Director of the Phuket Forestry Center, highlighted the collaborative effort among various sectors. Surveyors from Forest Resource Management Office 12, Krabi Branch, joined to ensure clarity in the operations. The reported encroachment on Nui Beach is still under investigation, he said.
Meanwhile, Karon Police Chief Pol Col Khundet Na Nongkhai, explained that police had a dual role in the issue: assisting ALRO and forestry officials in the boundary survey; and collecting evidence for ongoing investigations.
“Significant progress has been made, with investigators focusing on identifying the extent of state damage and gathering complete evidence to expedite the case to the public prosecutor,” Pol Col Khundet said.
“Additionally, one offender has surrendered regarding the physical harm incident, and summonses have been issued for three others,” he added, more than a week after Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum assured publicly that summonses for at least three others involved in the assault were pending.
No explanation was given for the delay in charging the three others for their role in the May 23 assault, despite the overwhelming video evidence available and posted online immediately after the aattack.
“The authorities expect to achieve clear land boundaries and resolve the ownership dispute soon, providing a definitive solution to this long-standing issue,” the official report said.