Thailand: Hundreds of rubber trees removed from Krabi wildlife sanctuary

MORE THAN 40 forest rangers and wildlife sanctuary officials yesterday teamed up to cut down rubber trees illegally planted at a wildlife sanctuary.

Armed officials, following Article 25 of the National Reserve Forest Act, removed about 400 rubber trees in the Khao Prabangkram Wildlife Sanctuary in Krabi’s Klong Thom district.

The trees were around eight years old and had been planted on a 5-rai or 0.8 hectare plot of land.

The trees are believed to have been planted by palm oil farmers.

Wildlife sanctuary officials cut down the rubber trees after nobody showed up to claim ownership of the plantation.

The operation was completed without any problems.
During a crackdown on forest encroachers in 2013, an official was shot dead and one was injured. This time, officials watch one another’s backs in a bid to prevent similar assaults.