SURAT THANI A photo of a vandalised rock on one of the most popular attractions of Thailand,
Koh Samui, has drawn attention from Thai social media users.
The photo, posted by Facebook user Tommy Samui on Saturday, shows the rock spraypainted in
huge red letters in a foreign language.
"This is the work of a Russian tourist. He wants everyone in the world to see his work at Thong
Takian beach, one of the most beautiful beaches Koh Samui. I have to share this photo so the people
in Russia would know about some of their misbehaving tourists," Tommy Samui wrote.
The Facebook user added that this incident reminded him of some Thais who plucked cherry
blossoms in Japan.
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After the post went viral, a social media member wrote that the Russian word on the rock
was Козловы (Kozlovy).
Other netizens wrote the Great Wall in China and other popular destinations around the world had
been vandalised by many tourists, including Thai people, and called on authorities to take serious
action against vandals.
Another Facebook user wrote that the rock could be spraypainted by a Thai person who knows
Russian.
Mr Chonlatid said while business operators have to leave, the master plan will set up clear zones that
extend land use privileges to the hill tribes.
These include a service zone where the Hmong can operate and run small resorts, a living zone, an
agricultural zone, and a buffer zone where the forest boundary connects with national parks.
Mr Chonlatid said the master plan should be finished in the next two months and the problem of forest
encroachment by resort businesses in the mountainous area will be resolved shortly.
The cabinet in 1966 allocated 47,000 rai of the forest to 3,500 Hmong families living there as a way
of tackling the communist insurgency by improving their quality of life.
The Department of Public Welfare at the Interior Ministry at that time was in charge of the effort.
The government allowed them to stay there on condition they would not cut down trees or plant
narcotic plants, but help to preserve and protect the watershed area. Land transfers were also not
allowed, and nor was any activity that might destroy the forest's ecological system.
In 2013, the Department of Social Development and Welfare filed a suit with the Criminal Court
against 27 resorts that encroached on the hill tribe land. They were accused of buying them out.
However, the court said the department had no jurisdiction over the forest, and the Department of
Royal Forest, which had jurisdiction, later took the cases to court.
The court recently issued an order that the owners and personnel of 10 resorts at Phutubberk must
vacate.
Some resorts are also run by the Hmong themselves.
"We will verify which resort belongs to the Hmong and which ones do not. We'll stick to the principle
that the land is allocated to the minorities who should work with us to protect the forest," Mr
Chonlatid said.
Puttipat Lertchaowasit, chief of the Department of Social Development and Welfare, said the two
departments will survey the 47,000 rai allocated to the Hmong people and come up with the land
management plan that will adhere to the principle of improving their quality of life and economic