Phang Nga national park chief transferred over e-ticket fraud probe

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has transferred Rittikorn Nunloy, head of Mu Ko Similan National Park in Phang Nga province to an inactive position following irregularities in e-ticket selling.

Atthaphon Charoenchansa, DNP director-general, said on Wednesday that an investigation committee will be established to probe findings from a department task force’s unscheduled check at islands No 4 and No 8 of the national park in the Andaman Sea.

According to the task force’s report, 15 ferry boats, each carrying around 50 passengers, had docked at the two islands over the period of four hours to drop off Thai and foreign visitors. However, park officials allegedly registered only five passengers per boat on the department’s e-ticket platform.

The task force also found that park officials reported around 20 Thai passengers per boat, when in reality there were almost none.

The DNP checked past park-entry records, which showed over 40,000 Thai e-ticket buyers in the past month, in contrast to the task force’s finding that most visitors are foreigners.

Visitors to islands in the Mu Ko Similan National Park must purchase an e-ticket beforehand. Adult tickets are priced at 100 baht for Thais and 500 baht for foreigners, while child tickets are 50 baht for Thais and 250 baht for foreigners.

Atthaphon said the park switched from cash purchases to e-tickets to solve problems such as theft and crowding at entrances due to officials not having enough change. It is the first national park in Thailand where entry is by e-ticket only.

Mu Ko Similan National Park is an archipelago of 11 islands in the Andaman Sea, 70 kilometres off the coast in Phang Nga. Its rich marine life of hard and soft coral reefs, crystal clear waters and white beaches make Similan islands among the most sought-after dive sites in the world.