A senior forestry officer taking part in the government's demolition of illegal resorts on Phu Thap Boek in Phetchabun claims an anonymous caller threatened to kill him and provincial governor Bundit Theeveethivarak if they did not cease work immediately.
The death threat was revealed by Boonlarp Sooksai, director of the Forest Resources Management Bureau No 4 in Phetchabun on Wednesday.
Mr Boonlarp said he got the phone call at 11.08am when he was in a meeting at the forward operation centre on tackling land problems on Phu Thap Boek in Ban Nern subdistrict of Lom Kao district.
The male caller also threatened to kill district chief officer of Lom Kao, Charnchai Sornsrivichai, if the demolition of illegal resorts continued and scolded Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, he said.
Last month, Gen Prayut invoked Section 44 of the interim constitution to empower Phetchabun authorities to deal with illegal land ownership on Phu Thap Boek, one of the province’s most popular tourist attractions.
Mr Boonlarp said the same man later called Mr Charnchai and threatened to kill him.
He has filed a complaint at Lom Kao police station and officers are checking the anonymous caller’s phone number.
Authorities have almost finished tearing down 19 illegally built resorts which are the first batch ordered removed by the Royal Forest Department, which owns the land. They are among 111 resorts earmarked for demolition.