Rangsit Rom and Lefang are preparing to lead the Legal Affairs Committee to meet the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment at the ministry to discuss the overlapping land issues within Thap Lan National Park.
On 27 Aug 2026 GMT+7 at the Parliament Building, Rangsit Rom, chairman of the Legal, Justice and Human Rights Committee, and Lefang Bundittherdsakul, spokesperson for the committee, along with representatives from the Thap Lan 43 group and affected local residents, held a press conference regarding the overlapping land issues in Thap Lan National Park.
Residents living in parts of Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, and Sa Kaeo provinces have requested justice concerning the declaration of Thap Lan National Park boundaries in 1981, which overlapped with existing residential and farming lands predating the park’s establishment, causing ongoing hardship and impact on local communities for many years.
Lefang Bundittherdsakul explained that there are two key issues: first, the National Park Committee passed a resolution to revoke overlapping areas that contradicts previous approaches. Earlier efforts to resolve the boundary overlap involved creating the One Map plan, supported by two resolutions: the National Land Policy Committee in 2023 confirmed revocation of overlapping areas from villagers’ lands, followed by the Cabinet’s resolution to proceed accordingly. These conflicting resolutions have placed the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in a position where legal amendments and map adjustments require a Royal Decree based on the National Park Committee’s resolution, which opposes the National Land Policy Committee’s stance, causing problems. Resolving this requires policy-level decisions. Thus, the Legal Affairs Committee invited the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, as chair of the National Land Policy Committee, along with committee members, to discuss solutions. Additionally, the Department admitted wrongful prosecutions of 23 individuals and promised compensation, but details remain unclear and need policy-level decisions. Unfortunately, as the key policy decision-maker did not attend the meeting, the committee could not proceed further.
Rangsit Rom added that while land issues may seem complex, they involve people whose lives depend on the land and who have long awaited justice. It is premature to simply label villagers as intruders of national parks, forests, or state resources because these are real lives involved. Previously, state policies promoted tourism and public relations, including substantial activities and government budget spent on defining boundaries in 2000, during which many villagers cooperated and left lands that became park territory. However, despite Cabinet resolutions, the National Park Committee’s resolution now overrides the Cabinet’s decision. Therefore, resolving this problem requires policy-level discussions. Today, the legal and positional issues are clear, but the challenge remains how to address overlapping land declarations. Unfortunately, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment did not attend this meeting. The committee aims to revert to the 2000 boundary policy to clarify the situation, which they believe is the true solution, allowing villagers to maintain farming land while preserving forests and parks as legacies for future generations. The Legal Affairs Committee plans to meet the minister directly at the ministry to continue discussions.