PHETCHABUN: Provincial authorities have agreed to allow hotels proven to be encroaching on public forests to continue operating, to avert a slump in the local economy.
The provincial land policy subcommittee, headed by Suebsak Eiam-vicharn, said state agencies will be notified of the subcommittee's decision before it is put to the cabinet for final approval.
The decision was taken as the province's local economy has experienced a downturn since the previous government under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) resolved to reclaim public forests from encroachment.
In 2016, the NCPO ordered all buildings built on public forests in Phetchabun be demolished. The forests were reserved for Hmong tribes to resettle in, but were later leased to companies which built resorts there.