A top official of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has reiterated that all residential and farming settlements spilling into the Thap Lan National Park will be subjected to a step-by-step screening process.
The remark by Thanya Nethithammakul, who heads the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, contradicts an earlier comment by Environment Minister Surasak Kanjanarat, who said some parts of the park might be made available for a local living zone.
Gen Surasak's comment has been criticised by activists, who said it is improper to allot the forest land to locals as it might encourage encroachment of other forests, leading to a decline in national park areas in the country.
Mr Thanya recently explained the department's position in dealing with forest land encroachment in part of Thap Lan National Park, a World Heritage site.
He was responding to reports that it might be possible to allot some of the national park's partly forested land to the locals and give them the right to live there.
He explained the department has set up a committee to deal with the case by dividing the issue into three categories: the residential area which overlaps areas of the forest zone and Sor Por Kor land (areas with agricultural use rights) covering 58,582 rai; and forest land overlapping with land allocated to the poor covering 219,948 rai; and land occupied by people according to the cabinet's resolution of June 30, 1998 spreading over 152,072 rai.
He added the department is in the process of measuring the exact scale of land taken up by the categories two and three, which is expected to be completed shortly.
Meanwhile, the department is waiting for a suggestion from the Council of State on how to deal with overlapping Sor Por Kor areas, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Land Reform Office.
"We have no plans to hand out the national park land as claimed," said Mr Thanya.
"Everything will be done according to procedures. We are getting information on the exact scale of land possessed by the locals, and preparing data to consider allowing locals to stay on under conditions set aside in the planned national park law," he added.
According to the draft of the law, people can live in the forest for a period of 20 years but maybe subject to a residential fee.
The department has been aiming to clear out people living in the core zone of the forest to improve its ecological system management.