An off-road group has come under fire after images showed vehicles parked in water and travelling through natural areas inside Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site that covers parts of northern Kanchanaburi and southern Tak.
The images were shared by the Facebook page Aeromechx today, June 4, alongside criticism that the group’s activities risked damaging the environment and may have violated regulations governing protected wildlife areas.
According to the post, members of the group claimed they were delivering school supplies to Ban Ko Sadoeng School. However, the page argued that charitable activities did not justify driving vehicles into streams, parking in waterways, or disturbing natural routes within the sanctuary.
Thungyai Naresuan is one of Thailand’s most protected conservation areas and is governed under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act.
Unlike national parks, permission to enter wildlife sanctuaries is usually limited to clearly defined activities such as research, conservation work, approved nature study, or documentary filming.
Such permission does not allow visitors to drive into streams or camp in waterways, and the page argued that any official approval for such activity could raise legal questions for the officials involved.
The criticism focused on images showing vehicles parked in water, which the page said could damage riverbeds and aquatic habitats. It also warned of potential contamination from oil, grease, and other vehicle-related substances entering waterways used by wildlife.
Questions were also raised over the apparent use of drones within the sanctuary. The page claimed drone operations in protected forest areas require special approval and are generally not permitted for tourism, personal content creation, or vehicle reviews.
Aeromechx said many off-road groups follow the rules, but criticised a minority who use words such as nature study and donations while damaging natural resources.
Thai netizens are calling on officials to investigate and take action to prevent similar behaviour in the future. Critics argued that failing to enforce regulations could encourage others to carry out similar activities in protected conservation areas.
The criticism came shortly after a Thai woman was fined 10,000 baht after driving an off-road vehicle into a protected World War II bomb crater at a national park in Kanchanaburi.
The story Off-road charity group slammed for driving into World Heritage stream as seen on Thaiger News.
