A total of 450,000 rai of forestland has been reclaimed from encroachers in the past two years, and about 200,000 rai of it redistributed to the poor, according to the Internal Security Operations Command.
Spokesman Peerawat Saengthong said on Friday that Isoc, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the National Council for Peace and Order and the Royal Thai Police Office launched a forest reclamation campaign on June 17, 2014.
Since then 450,000 rai (720 square kilometres) of deforested land had been reclaimed. About 200,000 rai of this land had already been redistributed to the poor. The government had replanted about another 90,000 rai of the reclaimed land.
Authorities were inspecting approximately another 300,000 other rai of land, before deciding if it should also be taken back.
Col Peerawat said army chief and deputy Isoc director Teerachai Nakwanich ordered Isoc officials to strictly curb forest encroachment and enforce laws against violators.
Thailand has a total area of 513,000 sq/km, of which 147,620 sq/km remains forested, about 29%.