A combined force of about 200 troops, local officials, defence volunteers and forestry officials engaged in an operation on Tuesday to fell rubber trees in about 1,000 rai of land in Dong Yai forest reserves.

The 1,000 rai plus rubber plantation represented just one third of land in the forest reserves encroached by villagers believed hired by money barons to clear the land and to turn it into rubber plantations.

Officials said that they had no idea who encroached or occupied the land as the rubber plantation appeared to be abandoned because global rubber prices have nosedived that it is no longer viable to keep maintaining the plantation.

They said that there are still more than 2,000 rai of rubber plantations in the Dong Yai forest reserves which are yet to be wiped out to reclaim the land.

The reclaimed land will be incorporated into the Dong Yai wildlife sanctuary.

Officials chop down rubber trees on encroached land in Dong Yai forest reserves - Thai PBS English News