Jason Unsworth | Atmosphere Airlines 🛫🇬🇧🇹🇭

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin has visited Phuket on November 7, 2026, following instructions from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to oversee legal action against groups allegedly encroaching on national forest reserves and exploiting public land, particularly around Freedom Beach. This operation follows the Prime Minister's inspection of Freedom Beach on May 13, during which he directed authorities to address the alleged unlawful occupation of more than 70 rai of land, valued at more than three billion baht. ​The Minister visited Kathu Police Station to review the investigation and arrests, accompanied by Phuket Governor Chodnarin Koedsom, Pol. Maj. Gen. Anek Taosupap of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, and Royal Forest Department Deputy Director-General Patpong Samittipat. ​Police arrested four suspects, one of whom had a Criminal Court warrant for alleged public fraud and submitting false computer data. ​Investigators allege the suspects advertised land within the Nak Koet Mountain National Reserved Forest for sale, falsely claiming it had valid ownership documents and inducing buyers to transfer funds. The Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to strict and transparent law enforcement against illegal forest occupation and exploitation, regardless of the parties involved. He emphasized that national forest reserves and public land belong to the public and must not be used for private gain. #FreedomBeach #Phuket #ForestProtection #IllegalLandEncroachment #NaturalResources #NBTWorld

Songkhla Governor Ratthasart Chidchoo has inspected repairs to the R.1 Drainage Canal embankment in Tha Chang Subdistrict, Bang Klam District, after extensive flooding damage in late 2025. The inspection confirmed that nearly all major structural repairs were complete, including restoring damaged concrete walls and installing steel sheet piles at vulnerable locations. Remaining road resurfacing will be completed after the rainy season. The repairs are being carried out by the Royal Irrigation Department under a Cabinet-approved central budget allocation of nearly 380 million baht to restore the canal's flood drainage capacity. The Governor also inspected flood management facilities at the Ban Bang Yi Sluice Gate, where four additional Hydroflow pumps were installed, increasing the total from six to ten. The pumping system now has a combined capacity of about 105 cubic meters per second, improving drainage from the R.1 Canal into Songkhla Lake and strengthening the area's flood management. ​The governor instructed relevant agencies to maintain prepareness for emergency situations and encouraged residents to stay calm and monitor official weather forecasts and flood warnings. Local residents have expressed increased confidence in the province's flood protection measures after the repairs and improvements. They also thanked government agencies for prioritizing restoration and addressing concerns before the flood season. #Songkhla #FloodPreparedness #FloodPrevention #CanalRestoration #WaterManagement #NBTWorld