Influencer cop under probe for land encroachment
The officer, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Yutthaphon Srisompong — who is widely known online as Johnny Mue Prab (Johnny the Enforcer) — is the owner of a resort located in Lam Dom Noi, which authorities say was built on land that has been earmarked by the ministry as a self-help settlement.
The land, located in Sirindhorn district, was meant to be used by poor residents to build homes and make a living through small-scale farming.
The petition against Pol Snr Sgt Yutthaphon, who has over 1.6 million followers on Facebook, was filed by Watchara Kosentor from the Department of Social Development and Welfare with the Natural Resource and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) on Monday.
According to the petition, residents first informed the department that Pol Snr Sgt Maj Yutthaphon was building a resort on the edge of the self-help settlement back in 2021.
Parts of the resort, they said, encroached on the settlement's forest reserve, affecting about one rai, or about 20% of the reserve's total area.
The department then ordered the resort's operator to cease any construction work in 2022, but the order was never acknowledged.
According to Mr Watchara, residents who wish to use any part of the 24,675-rai self-help settlement in Lam Dom Noi must acquire permission from the department before proceeding.
He said the department has never given Pol Snr Sgt Maj Yutthaphon the permission to use the land, before adding authorities have no idea how he managed to acquire the plots.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Yutthaphon is currently under a separate investigation over his unusual wealth, so his resignation from the police force was not approved.
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