Karon Police Chief Pol Col Khundet Na Nongkhai said he was informed of the incident at 5:16pm when Meekiat Phaisanworachai, 59, filed a formal complaint of the assault.
Mr Meekiat is the man seen attacked in video clips of the incident shared widely on social media.
The complaint was filed specifically against Chalothorn ‘Boy’ Chotpanang and others seen joining the assault.
Mr Meekiat explained that his younger brother had previously had several encounters with Chalothorn over land at Nui Beach, in Moo 2, Karon.
He was told at about 12:45pm yesterday that Chalothorn and about 17 others had arrived at the beach to forcibly claim the land.
Mr Meekiat said he had arrived at the beach to tell the men that the land was owned by the Forest Department and was part of the Nakkerd Hills Protected Forest area.
One of the videos shared online showed Chalothorn and his associates inspecting the land to deteremine where the boundaries were.
One of the men noticed they were being recorded on video and approached the person holding the phone. The man grabbed the phone to stop the recording but can be heard asking, "What are you doing?"
An argument ensued, and as seen in the video clips shared online one man wearing a yellow shirt struck Mr Meekiat on the head with a piece of wood.
Another man, the main assailant, wearing a dark shirt, is seen punching Mr Meekiat in the face and kicking him in the stomach. Several others joined in the assault after Mr Meekiat had been knocked to the ground.
The man in the dark shirt can be seen kicking Mr Meekiat in the head while he was on the ground.
Mr Meekiat said he could not fully remember who attacked him, other than Chalothorn punching him in the face and kicking him.
One person in the group was holding a machete and used the handle of the machete to attack him, he said.
Mr Meekiat was able to extricate himself from the situation and was taken to Chalong Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The complaint filed was for attempted murder.
The investigating officer at Karon Police, Pol Lt Col Sanya Suksawat, said police would interview other witnesses to the incident and “prosecute according to the law”.
Efforts by authorities over the years to curtail violence, thuggery and extortion of tourists by entrance fees at Nui Beach have proved fruitless.
After years of negotiating, and repeated incidents of violence against tourists at the beach, the Royal Thai Navy demolished all buildings at Nui Beach in 2020.
Yet more structures were built later, and business resumed.
In the latest effort by officials to claim they have any enforcement over the land, Bannaruk Sermthong, Deputy Director-General of the Royal Forest Department, arrived in Phuket in person on Mar 12 and led a contingent of no less than 100 officers to “inspect” the land in what was essentially a raid.
Mr Bannaruk announced to the country through the national media he brought with him that the illegal occupiers had 45 days to remove all illegal structures at Nui Beach.
That deadline expired on Apr 26.
Yet still the illegal structures still remain.