About 47,000 rai of land in Phu Thap Boek area of Phetchabun province taken back from encroachers will be returned to the Social Development and Human Security Ministry for further development, Royal Forest Department Cholathis Surasawadi said.
Demolition of the first 19 illegal resorts on Phu Thap Boek mountain would be completed by Sept 30.
After that the Forest Department would remove another 18 houses and resorts. The owners of these structures would be told to demolish them within 30 days. If they did not, the department would do that with help from military and police personnel, Mr Cholathis said.
On completion, the department would return about 47,000 rai of retaken land to the Social Development and Human Security Ministry. Some of the land, green areas and sources of water, would be retained and managed by the Royal Forest Department.
Mr Cholathis said a master plan for the development of Phu Thap Boek would be submitted to the cabinet for consideration in October.
The plan would include zoning of areas for forest conservation, residential areas, areas for common use and areas on which resorts can be built and operated with permission from the Social Development and Welfare Department, for proper control, Mr Cholathis said.
Col Pongpet Ketsupa, chief of the special environment operations of the Internal Security Operations Command, said after the 18 houses and resorts in the second lot are removed, there would still be 61 other illegal resorts to be demolished. All of them were expected to be gone before the New Year.
From Oct 1, laws would be strictly enforced to prevent more land encroachment, he said.