Thai Enquirer
#SaveThapLan Protesters Confront Suchart as Government Defends Removal of 155,865 Rai From National Park
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Campaigners from the #SaveThapLan movement, which gathered more than 900,000 signatures opposing changes to Thap Lan National Park boundaries, confronted Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin at Parliament on Tuesday as debate intensified over a plan to remove 155,865 rai from the protected area.
Key facts
- The #SaveThapLan campaign, backed by the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and other conservation groups, emerged after a 2024 public consultation on a proposal to remove up to 265,000 rai from the park based on a revised boundary survey
- after Suchart accepted a petition from residents backing the boundary revision and the government’s land-rights verification process
- Defending the plan, Suchart said the boundary revision follows a 2023 Cabinet resolution aimed at resolving decades-old disputes involving communities that occupied the area before Thap Lan National Park was established in 1981.
- More than 100 residents from Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri and nearby areas travelled to Parliament to show support for the newly established parcel-by-parcel land-rights verification committee.
Summary
The protesters shouted “Save Thap Lan” after Suchart accepted a petition from residents backing the boundary revision and the government’s land-rights verification process. The minister walked past the group without responding.
Earlier, Suchart met villagers affected by overlapping land claims in and around Thap Lan National Park and received a petition supporting the government’s efforts to resolve the dispute. More than 100 residents from Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri and nearby areas travelled to Parliament to show support for the newly established parcel-by-parcel land-rights verification committee.