The Director-General of the Royal Forest Department has ordered an investigation into the land use of Phra V. Vajiramedhi.

The Director-General of the Royal Forest Department said he will send officials to inspect the land use in the national forest reserve of the Rai Chern Tawan International Vipassana Center, founded by Phra V. Vajiramedhi, to see if it exceeds the permission requested from the Royal Forest Department. If found, there will be both fines and imprisonment, and the land must be reclaimed. Mr. Surachai Achalaboon, Director-General of the Royal Forest Department, spoke about the criticism of the Rai Cherntawan International Vipassana Center, located in Huai Sak Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province, which was built by Phra V. Vajiramedhi, that it used up 190 rai of land in a national forest reserve, which exceeds the permission requested from the Royal Forest Department. Tomorrow (October 21, 2024), he has assigned Forest Resource Management Office 2 (Chiang Rai) to inspect it. The Vimuttayalai Foundation has requested permission to use approximately 11 rai of land, and the National Office o f Buddhism has requested permission for the foundation to use approximately 30 rai of land. Therefore, it is necessary to check whether the land has exceeded the permitted area. The inspection will involve GPS coordinates, which will not take long to conclude. If it is found that the land has exceeded the permitted area, it will be considered an encroachment on a national forest reserve. Mr. Surachai said that the offense of encroaching on the national forest reserve area according to the National Reserved Forest Act, Section 54, stipulates that no one shall occupy, use, or live on the land, construct, clear, burn the forest, make wood, or do anything that causes the forest to deteriorate, which is punishable by imprisonment of 1-20 years and a fine of 20,000-200,000 baht. If such an act is committed in a national reserve area exceeding 25 rai, the penalty is imprisonment of 4-20 years and a fine of 200,000-2,000,000 baht. In addition, the area must be reclaimed. The investigation was conducted after images emerged of Phra Maha Vuthichai Wachiramethi, or Phra V. Wachiramethi, giving a sermon and mentioning The Icon Group Company Limited in the sermon, causing widespread social criticism as to whether this was part of the support for people to believe and invest, resulting in a large number of victims. Source: Thai News Agency