Thailand closes parks with high fire risk, warns of 20 years jail for those who burn illegally
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Anyone found setting fire to forests in national parks or wildlife sanctuary areas faces a jail term of between four and 20 years, a fine ranging from 400,000 baht (S$15,000) to two million baht, or both.
PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has ordered the closure of high-risk conservation forest areas across the country as it intensifies a sweeping crackdown on illegal forest burning, warning offenders that they could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of as high as two million baht (S$79,000).
The department said the wildfire and haze situation in several areas remains worrying, with the north still the most fragile region despite this year’s overall forest fire figures remaining below the crisis levels seen over the same period in 2023 and 2024.
Mr Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the department, said on March 29 that the authorities were pressing ahead with strict enforcement as hot spot numbers continued to mount.
From the start of the season, between Oct 1, 2025, and Feb 28, 2026, officials made arrests linked to 269 cases – 262 cases involved forest encroachment and seven involved illegal forest burning.
To prevent and control the situation, the department has announced the closure of several high-risk conservation forest areas. Anyone found entering those areas to start fires illegally will be arrested and handed over to police, with no leniency.
Mr Atthapol also stressed the severity of the legal penalties for forest burning.
Anyone found setting fire to forests in national parks or wildlife sanctuary areas faces a jail term of between four and 20 years, a fine ranging from 400,000 baht to two million baht, or both, under Section 41 of the National Parks Act 2019 and Section 99 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019.
The authorities said the wildfire and haze situation in several areas remains worrying.
PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
The move comes as Mr Suchart Chomklin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, ordered all relevant agencies to pursue forest burning cases to the fullest extent of the law. The order underlines the government’s determination to protect the country’s natural resources and shield public health from toxic haze pollution.
Data collected nationwide since Oct 1, 2025, shows a cumulative total of 57,143 hot spots.
On the morning of March 29 alone, the authorities recorded 2,336 hot spots across the country. The largest share, 1,368, was found in conservation forest areas, followed by 806 in national reserved forests and 162 outside forest areas.
By region, the north accounted for the highest number, with 1,312 hot spots, followed by the central and eastern regions with 41, and the north-east with 15. The five provinces with the highest hot spot counts that morning were Chiang Mai with 480, Mae Hong Son with 247, Lampang with 104, Nan with 97, and Phayao with 85.
The authorities are also closely tracking conservation forest areas where hot spots have persisted for more than 48 hours.
Between March 27 and 29, the highest cumulative totals were recorded at Sri Lanna National Park with 272 hot spots, Tham Pha Thai Wildlife Sanctuary with 247, Salawin Wildlife Sanctuary with 189, Mae Ping National Park with 179, and Huai Nam Dang National Park with 173.
The authorities are also closely tracking conservation forest areas where hot spots have persisted for more than 48 hours.
PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
To reinforce the warning about penalties, Mr Atthapol cited a forest burning case in Phrae province. The case stemmed from an incident on Feb 15, 2025, when a man from Ta Pha Mok subdistrict illegally set fire to forest land in front of Doi Pha Klong National Park. Patrol officers spotted the blaze as it started and managed to quickly bring it under control. They arrested the suspect and his case was brought before the court.
On March 17, 2026, Phrae Provincial Court sentenced the defendant to one year and four months in prison, suspended for two years, and imposing a fine of 143,000 baht.
The department said the key point in that case was that even though the fire had not spread widely, the court made clear that the offence had already been committed from the moment the fire was lit.
Officials said the sentencing should serve as a clear warning that forest burning is not a minor offence and that the law can be enforced at every stage.
The department said enforcement officers will continue operating under strict orders, with no exemptions for those who damage the country’s natural resources, as the authorities seek to protect Thailand’s forests and environment more effectively. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
