The Phuket NACC Office, led by Director Suwat Saowarat, announced late Thursday (June 12) that the third ‘Watch & Voice’ activity under the ‘STRONG - Sufficiency Economy Against Corruption’ project was held at its Chao Fah Road office on May 30.
The session was conducted in collaboration with members of the Phuket STRONG Club and officers from the Anti-Corruption Division.
No reason was given as to why the announcement came more than a month late.
The meeting followed up on a previous site inspection carried out on Oct 17, 2024, when officials from the NACC, Forest Protection Unit 2 (Phuket), Kathu Police and the Phuket STRONG Club discovered illegal land clearing activities within the Kamala Mountain National Forest Reserve in Kathu District, the announcement said.
According to reports from the Forest Protection Unit, six plots of land had been illegally cleared.
Legal proceedings have already been initiated for four of these plots, with cases filed at Kathu Police Station. The remaining two plots are still being surveyed and assessed for environmental damage, NACC Phuket explained.
Sorasak Rananan, Director of the Phuket Forestry Center, confirmed that reports for these final two plots have now been submitted to investigators, who are in the process of collecting further evidence before filing criminal charges.
During the session, participants exchanged additional information gathered from the site, noting that a significant number of large and small trees had been felled, with logs found both burned and stockpiled for future burning.
Officers also discovered small shelters and makeshift water systems, including PVC piping, installed at the scene, Mr Sorasak said.
The Phuket Forestry Center has pledged to take firm legal action against those responsible, reaffirming its commitment to enforcing the law and protecting the national forest reserve, Mr Sorsak noted.
The ‘STRONG - Sufficiency Economy Against Corruption’ project aims to engage both officials and the public in monitoring and reporting corruption-related activities, particularly in areas involving public land and natural resources, NACC Phuket Chief Mr Suwat said.
For more information, the Phuket NACC Office can be contacted at 076-680054 or via the national corruption hotline at 1205, he added.