The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has uncovered suspicious corruption in marine park revenue collection. Despite efforts to implement an E-Ticket system to prevent fraud, the initiative has failed due to deliberate obstruction. There are concerns about systemic collusion with operators, and welfare shops are required to remit 15% of their income to central authorities.
In late March, the Andaman task force from the NACC conducted on-site monitoring at Maya Bay and Koh Pai, within the Noppharat Thara–Phi Phi Islands National Park. At the Maya Bay collection point on Koh Pai, significant risks and management issues were observed regarding revenue collection.
Revenue collection continues to rely on cash despite longstanding policies promoting online systems and numerous follow-up meetings. Staff must manually record tourist and boat counts in extreme heat, increasing the risk of errors and data manipulation each day.
At Maya Bay’s collection point, over one million baht in cash is collected. The entire process—from counting and safeguarding the money to transporting cash back to the park headquarters—carries multiple risks, including loss, miscounting, and staff safety concerns.
Concerns were raised about staff welfare: park employees earn only 9,000 baht per month yet are responsible for handling large sums of public money. This creates management risks for welfare shops. Additionally, staff must transport raw materials and food themselves for supplementary income, but must return 15% of their earnings to the Department of National Parks.
The task force also found that the number of park boats is insufficient to manage the large volume of tourists.
Previously, there were over 20 marine national parks on the Andaman coast. Projects were launched to implement E-Ticket systems for entrance fees, with budgets allocated for infrastructure. However, the NACC’s investigation found only one marine park using an online system, which itself was disorderly and vulnerable to corruption.
Among approximately 20-24 Andaman marine national parks, which are major revenue sources for the Department of National Parks, Noppharat Thara–Phi Phi Islands National Park in Krabi generated the highest income in 2024, exceeding 629 million baht, followed by the Similan Islands in Phang Nga with over 243 million baht. Historically, marine parks have consistently faced problems collecting entrance fees.
Thairath Online’s special task force interviewed the head of the Andaman task force from the NACC, who reported that the E-Ticket system was introduced to address revenue leakage and corruption inherent in cash-based entrance fee collection at marine parks.
The NACC proposed that parks adopt E-Ticket sales, and this was approved by the Cabinet in 2019. Annual follow-ups have been conducted, but only three marine parks have upgraded to E-Ticket systems; others continue to collect cash.
In the latest inspection, the Similan Islands National Park was the only one with 100% E-Ticket use. However, ticket sales did not match tourist numbers or types. For example, a single boat carrying 50 foreign tourists, who should pay 400 baht each (totaling 20,000 baht), was recorded as selling Thai tickets at 100 baht each, or foreign tickets were purchased for only 10-20 people. Staff did not verify these discrepancies.
Field visits last week uncovered various leakages, including orders preventing staff from inspecting certain boats or tour companies. These represent channels for public funds to be lost from park entrance fees.
The most recent inspection at Maya Bay and Koh Pai, part of Noppharat Thara National Park which collects about 600 million baht annually, found that entrance fees are still collected in cash with no online sales. Officials cited complicated E-Ticket purchase conditions requiring extensive data entry, leading tour companies to prefer cash payments on different islands.
Officials noted that although budgets have been allocated since 2025 to implement E-Ticket systems, progress has stalled. Currently, new terms of reference are being drafted for the project.
Regarding staff welfare, some marine parks have only two government officials, with the rest as low-paid employees earning 8,000 to 9,000 baht monthly. These employees must sell products like coconut water, food, or snacks, with proceeds shared among staff. However, 15% of sales must be remitted to central authorities. Staff feel this is unfair, especially since they personally transport supplies to the islands.
Another concern expressed by park staff is that there are insufficient boats to manage tourists and protect the environment. Staff want to focus on conservation and preventing environmental damage, but their manpower is largely consumed by entrance fee collection. In emergencies or accidents, there are not enough boats to assist tourists. They wish to have various types of boats to fulfill their duties effectively.
A worrying issue is that staff must carry daily-collected cash from entrance fees ashore every day, such as at Maya Bay. This raises suspicions of deliberate inefficiencies in the revenue collection system. Another key issue is the lack of career advancement opportunities for personnel.
Thairath Online will present statements from the Department of National Parks and related agencies to provide balanced perspectives and promote effective solutions.