Prapol Wiangnak, president of the local administrative organisation, said he had ordered a review to determine if the resort had legitimate land-rights papers following a visit on Sunday by Royal Forestry Department (RFD) chief Chonlathit Surasawadee to investigate the allegations.

Prapol called a meeting yesterday to prepare documents for an inspection to be conducted later. But he said aerial pictures circulating in social media, which have drawn a lot of criticism, were not of the Ban Pong area.

Chukiat Pongsiriwan, director of Forest Resources Management Office 1 in Chiang Mai, said yesterday his agency was waiting for the results of the RFD Phayak Prai Unit’s review of land-rights documents for questionable plots in Ban Pong. The plots were initially deemed to be located in a forest outside a national park, but if officials find protected areas have been encroached on, legal action will be taken, he said.

Officials went to investigate the site to collect more data, Chukiat said, adding that if developers had the proper land deeds that had been issued according to correct procedures and could show the land was obtained without encroaching on the forest, they would be allowed to proceed with their projects.

RFD chief Chonlathit visited Ban Pong on Sunday to join the aerial inspection and survey on foot of the forest resort site.

He promised to crack down on anyone encroaching on the forest without regard to state offices or influence.

He said the National Council for Peace and Order had empowered the agency to reclaim 200,000 rai (32,000 hectares) that encroaches on state forests nationwide within 90 days.

The agency prosecuted about 200 cases of forestland encroachment and is reviewing another 700 other cases, about 150 of which are in the North, Chonlathit said.