Chaiwat Limlikhitaksorn, former director of Thailand’s National Parks Office, has been dismissed from civil service effective retroactively from 30 September 2024, following a corruption ruling by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) related to a construction bid in Kaeng Krachan National Park.
Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has officially terminated Chaiwat Limlikhitaksorn from government service after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found him guilty of serious disciplinary violations involving a public works contract. The dismissal, signed by Permanent Secretary Jatuporn Buruspat on 6 June 2025, follows a May 30 review by the ministry’s Civil Service Commission.
The case centers on a 3.5 million baht construction project for a ranger office in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province. According to the NACC, Chaiwat colluded in the bidding process by facilitating a contract involving two companies—Tha Yang Construction and Phetchaburi Yutthana Construction—both reportedly owned by the same individual. The project was carried out without adequate supervision due to the remote nature of the site. Chaiwat allegedly received one million baht as a result of the scheme.
Chaiwat, once recognized for his active enforcement of forest protection laws, became a controversial figure over the years. In 2011, he led the burning of lodgings occupied by ethnic Karen villagers in Ban Bang Kloy, sparking legal challenges with support from NGOs. That same year, he was commended for leading a recovery mission at a helicopter crash site in the same national park.
However, his record came under heavier scrutiny in 2014 when Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen went missing after being detained by Chaiwat and his team. Although Chaiwat claimed Billy was released, no further sightings followed. The case was reopened in 2018, and remains believed to be Billy’s were later discovered in an oil drum submerged in the park’s river.
In 2019, Chaiwat was charged with Billy’s murder and appeared before the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct. He received a suspended sentence in 2023 for malfeasance.
In a separate development in 2022, Chaiwat collaborated with anti-graft officials in a sting operation that exposed then-director-general Ratchada Suriyakul Na Ayudhya accepting bribes in exchange for promotions. That operation led to Ratchada’s dismissal from service.
