“There must be measures to protect and preserve forests that have tangible results,” Vice Governor told a meeting at the Phuket Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office yesterday (May 14).
V/Gov Adul cited encroachment at Freedom Beach and Nui Beach as two particular examples where officials were lax in taking preventative action.
At the meeting, of the Provincial Subcommittee on Prevention and Suppression of Deforestation, was Phuket MNRE Chief Watthanaphong Suksai.
Also present were officials representing the the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
“There must be legal action and continuous monitoring of the area,” V/Gov Adul said.
According to an official report of the meeting, a report was presented marking the performance of the relevant agencies in combating encroachment and deforestation, including following up on important and high-profile cases of each unit working in preventing and suppressing illegal acts in natural resources and environment areas, as well as descriptions of the problems and obstacles encountered, and solutions discovered.
Emphasis was placed on all officers involved to carry out their work seriously, the report said.
However, details of the MNRE Phuket’s performance and ongoing campaigns against illegal encroachment and deforestation were not provided.