The taskforce launched a two weeks-long operation against influential figures early this week.

Thap Lan, the country’s second largest national park with around 1.4 million rai (224,000 hectares), has suffered extensive encroachment with many popular resorts set up by influential figures, including politicians and high ranking officials.

The problem has been raised in recent years at World Heritage Committee meetings – described as one of its “most depressing” issues, and one that posed a threat to the area’s world heritage status.

The government has been trying to address the issue by strictly enforcing forest laws against encroachers since 2011. It has filed complaints against more than 450 encroachers, the highest number ever for one area.

These include the high-profile case involving former deputy national police chief Pol General Jumpol Manmai, who was brought to Nakhon Ratchasima’s provincial court early this month to hear its verdict on the charge against him encroaching on the forest. (He received a jail term after confessing).

However, a number of resort owners still refuse to give up their land plots, which has led to authorities enforcing Article 22 under the National Parks Act, which gives forestry officials authority to remove properties found encroaching upon park areas, after 30 days’ notice.

Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn, who heads up the taskforce, said Phaya Sua had joined hands with the government unit for suppressing influential-figures in launching the current operation.

Nearly 100 properties were found encroaching on the park in the 2,100 rai seized. Those buildings were set to be “removed”, as per Article 22, he said.

And 20 more encroachers have been charged, including some officials from the Agricultural Land Reform Office, whom he said, helped the encroachers lay false claims over the parkland.

“In this area poor farmers were encouraged to clear the forests, before the land was turned into resort developments by rich or influential figures,” Chaiwat said.