Suspect 'Mr L' from the Freedom Beach case has surrendered to the police Officials from Phuket reported the arrest of…

Suspect 'Mr L' from the Freedom Beach case surrenders to police. Officials from Phuket reported the arrest of a suspect in the case of land encroachment at Freedom Beach. The man, referred to in official statements as Parinthorn, turned himself in to the police on May 12. The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) stated that the 51-year-old man is being investigated in four cases related to the illegal seizure of 57 rai of land in a protected forest reserve in the Karon tambon. The case numbers indicate that they were only filed this year, although PR Phuket has repeatedly stated that the Freedom Beach story has been going on for "over a decade". The Karona police cases linked to Mr Parinthorn (using Thai measures of area): Case No. 224/2569: 9 rai, 3 ngan and 40 sq wa; Case No. 227/2569: 50 sq wa; Case No. 228/2569: 1 ngan and 4 sq wa; Case No. 229/2569: 82 sq wa. As reported by The Phuket News, Karona police chief Colonel Pathapi Srichai confirmed the formal charges against Mr Parinthorn, but without giving details. The officer also referred to the suspect as 'Mr L'. This name - 'Mr L' - was mentioned by MP Chalermpong Saeengdee when he publicly reported being threatened with violence. It was also the name he used to refer to the person he claimed was 'selling' properties at Freedom Beach to foreign buyers. On the photos of the contracts with buyers Russian names and surnames were visible. Are these individuals co-defendants with 'Mr L' - unknown. Also on May 12, officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) led by Assistant Minister, General Nanthachart Supamongkol, inspected Freedom Beach. In a PR Phuket post, it is not stated whether they had to overcome the resistance of the armed security of the 'Freedom Beach mafia' which had previously effectively kept other ministry staff away by firing shots in the air. The text also clarifies that the problem arose after the death of the 'original landowner' in 2015 and the transfer of actual control to 'a group of individuals managing' the asset. The number of cases filed in connection with Freedom Beach was stated in the post as 23. In his turn, MP Sengdi once again called on relevant authorities to investigate financial flows related to attractive assets in the protected natural reserve. Specifically, the politician directly addressed the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). The number of cases filed by Mr. Sengdi was also mentioned as 23. The politician repeated the figure of 57 rai as the size of the forest reserve land that was seized. The number of suspects he mentioned was 17 people. It is unknown if foreign property owners in the protected natural reserve are included in this circle. Photo: PR Phuket, Chalermpong Saengdee For readers: When buying property in Thailand, carefully check the documents and legality of land ownership, especially in protected areas.