Communities living in protected forest areas must not sell their land to outsiders, Rerngchai Prayoonwet, deputy director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, says.
Some villagers had sold to developers land provided to them by the department for agricultural purposes only. The land had ended up in the hands of resort owners, when that was against the law.
Mr Rerngchai has sent letters to the heads of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and non-hunting areas asking them to make people living in protected forest areas understand that they cannot sell land to outsiders.
Mr Rerngchai cited the widespread sale of land in Thab Lan National Park covering parts of Prachin Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces as an example.
Last year authorities demolished luxury and high-end resorts illegally built in the national park after resort owners had bought the land from villagers who were only allowed to use the land for agricultural and residential purposes, Mr Rerngchai said.
"Both the authorities and villagers must comply with the law," he said.
Mr Rerngchai said he hoped the talks between his officials and villagers living in protected forest areas would go well, leading people to change their attitudes about forest protection and compliance with the law.
He had informed officials that people living in protected forest areas wrongly believed they could sell their land which was provided by the department.
In fact, people living in protected forest areas before the cabinet resolution of June 30, 1998 were allowed only to temporarily reside in the areas. If they sold their land to outsiders, they would be deprived of their right to live in protected forest areas and the buyers of their land would be charged with illegal encroachment on public property, he said.