The opposition whip is pressing Minister Suchart to disclose information on 552 encroachment cases in Thap Lan, questioning whether the government is drawing a line to help villagers or to let investors escape prosecution. They warn against using the phrase "solving the poor's problems" as a smokescreen to benefit wealthy interests instead of the needy.
On 25 June 2026, Mr. Chayanan Ketmek, Member of Parliament for Nong Bua Lamphu Province, Constituency 1, from the Kla Tham Party, speaking as the opposition whip, commented on the adjustment of Thap Lan National Park boundaries. He said Minister Suchart Chomklin of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment would only explain that this is to restore fairness to poor citizens and verbally affirm that he is not favoring investors. However, society wants to see not just the minister's assurances but open disclosure of maps, lists of landholders, and the status of all cases by plot.
Mr. Chayanan stated that the encroachment information for Thap Lan National Park includes as many as 552 cases covering more than 12,000 rai, with over 2,300 structures. Many cases involve resorts, vacation homes, and commercial uses. These include cases already sentenced by courts, cases under trial, and cases still at the investigation or prosecution stage.
"The key question is not just how many rai the government will remove from the park, but how many encroachment cases exist in the areas whose status will change, how many belong to poor villagers, and how many to resorts, luxury homes, or investors. Also, if the government changes the boundaries, shifts the responsible agency, or transfers the land to the Agricultural Land Reform Office, will the legal basis of each case be affected?" Mr. Chayanan asked.
He added that although the minister insists existing cases will continue, there has been no public disclosure of case lists by plot, no overlapping maps showing cases versus new boundaries, and no legal opinions from the Attorney General's Office or the Council of State confirming that boundary changes will not affect ongoing prosecutions, demolitions, or damage claims against encroachers.
"The minister cannot ask the public to trust words alone, because these cases involve enormous interests. If the new boundaries weaken the state's evidence, allowing defendants to contest appeals or making enforcement harder, even if the government does not call it amnesty, the effect could be the same—effectively letting encroachers escape responsibility."
Mr. Chayanan demands Minister Suchart immediately disclose publicly the full list of all 552 cases, coordinates of each plot, current case status, names of landholders as legally permitted, types of land use, and maps overlapping the proposed boundary adjustments. This transparency will allow the public to verify whether beneficiaries are genuinely poor farmers or if investors and commercial operators are involved.
Simultaneously, criteria must be disclosed for verifying over 5,200 claimants within six months to prevent land sales, proxy ownership, fraudulent claims, and using villagers' names to shield investors. Without strict verification systems, rushing this large-scale review could create major loopholes instead of solving problems.
"The opposition does not oppose restoring fairness to people who lived and farmed before the park's declaration, but helping the poor must not become a backdoor for investors. If the minister is confident no one benefits improperly, then open the maps, case lists, and all legal opinions. Don't leave the public guessing whether the lines drawn by the government are to restore villagers' rights or to clear others from cases."
Mr. Chayanan concluded that if the government proceeds with boundary adjustments without clear legal guarantees, and later it emerges that resort or luxury home encroachment cases are dropped, Minister Suchart and the government must bear unavoidable political responsibility.
"Thap Lan forest is not anyone's personal property nor a reward for those who have encroached and delayed cases long enough. The government’s duty is to restore fairness to villagers while simultaneously protecting the forest for all people. Do not use the phrase 'solving the poor's problems' as a smokescreen to benefit wealthy interests."