Police in Thailand Raid UFO Center Suspected of Encroaching on Forest Area
Authorities in Thailand raided a “meditation” center earlier this month to investigate suspicions that the members were encroaching on protected forests, according to a report by Khao Sod.
On August 16th, dozens of police and forest rangers raided the Khao Kala Meditation Center on Khao Kala mountain in Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan province to determine if a group of UFO believers who operate the center are encroaching on protected forest land.
Authorities raided the center following a UFO-watching event organized by the UFO Kao Kala group, who believe that some of their members are mediums capable of channeling messages sent by aliens from Pluto.
The police have also issued a summons for the owners of the land on which the meditation center is located.
“If we find anyone guilty of wrongdoing, we will file a criminal case against them. If a UFO descends and parks here, that’s even better. We’ll capture them all,” said Police Major General Damrong Petpong.
The authorities used coordinate-measuring machines to begin to determine how much of the protected forests the center may have encroached upon.
“The Forestry Department will use satellite GPS to check whether, and how much, the center is on forest space. We will proceed according to the law,” said Pinit Laoyuu from the local Forestry Department.
Pinit added that an estimated one to two acres of the meditation center may be encroaching on the forest.
Forest officials will be securing the area, he said.
“For the time being, we will not allow people to pitch tents or hold activities here since a case is ongoing,” said Pinit.
The center's owner, Charoen Raepetch, was not present for the raid, and when contacted, said that he had no plans to return to the mountain any time soon, while adding half-jokingly that he was “afraid the Forestry people would capture him.”
Charoen is among those wanted by the police for questioning.
Curious onlookers and UFO adherents alike continue to travel to the mountain, despite the police presence, to take photos and exchange stories of alleged UFO sightings.
Chaliew Phoocharoen, the sub-district head of Khao Kala tambon, explained that most people living in the area are not UFO believers and that those visiting the mountain come from elsewhere.
The UFO Kao Kala group was founded in 1998, after nurse Somjit Reapeth claimed to have had contact with extraterrestrials at Kao Kala in the Nakhon Sawan mountains. Since then, the mountain has become heavily associated with UFO activity in Thailand. The group maintains that these aliens communicate with them via meditation, and say that these communications enhance their Buddhist practices, and allow them to predict the future—in 2017 a group member predicted that World War III would begin by 2022.
The event that led to the police raid was planned as part of a birthday celebration for Somjit. An organizer for the event, who gave his name as "Jack", said the event will continue, but will be moved to the mountain’s foothills instead of its peak.
Admission for the event is free, and transportation from Bangkok will be provided. Interested parties are invited to contact Jack at his number listed on the event's page.
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