Military set to yield all state land holdings

By The Nation

 

 

Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong pledged reforms on Tuesday after a soldier disgruntled over a property deal with his commander shot dead 29 people in Nakhon Ratchasima. The Nation has begun tracking the progress of that promised reform, with Day 1 being the date of his press conference, at which he apologised for the soldier’s actions and pledged to get military officers out of dubious private businesses. 

 

General Apirat revealed more details of his plan on Wednesday (February 12), saying the Army would return state land to the Finance Ministry’s Treasury Department along with businesses such as the Suan Son Pradipat Hotel, kick-boxing stadiums and golf courses. 

 

He said the ministry would collect the revenue these businesses generate and reallocate part of it to welfare for military personnel. 

 

Though the military does not train its personnel in business management, some officers hold business positions concurrently with their Army careers. They will henceforth have to remain in the barracks, Apirat said.

 

“I want to correct the mistakes made by the Army and I am ready to accept any consequences stemming from those who are not happy with my decisions,” he said. 

 

Yuttana Yimgarund, director general of the Treasury Department, acknowledged that the Army was ready to hand over state land it occupies, and said a memorandum of understanding to that effect will be signed on Monday. 

 

The land in question covers a million rai and in some cases is illegally occupied by non-military people, in other cases has potential for commercial development, he said. The illegally occupied land will be rented out for legal residential or agricultural purposes.

 

This portion of the land is scattered around 10 provinces, including Surat Thani, Nakhon Swan and Chiang Rai, Yuttana said. 

 

The Army has a vast amount of land with commercial potential, but it is prohibited by law from developing it as such, he said. The department must first determine the locations of these properties.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382094

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-13

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24 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

acknowledged that the Army was ready to hand over state land it occupies

we know why they might have occupied it ; but why o why would they sell it to army personnel for private use ?

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

General Apirat revealed more details of his plan on Wednesday (February 12), saying the Army would return state land to the Finance Ministry’s Treasury Department along with businesses such as the Suan Son Pradipat Hotel, kick-boxing stadiums and golf courses. 

He said the ministry would collect the revenue these businesses generate and reallocate part of it to welfare for military personnel. 

It looks to me like a case of creative accounting: The finance ministry will 'take back the land', but in reality the army allowing them to 'manage' it for them, giving the army the income earned from it.

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

we know why they might have occupied it ; but why o why would they sell it to army personnel for private use ?

 

They don't "sell it" to anyone.

 

The land is "occupied", by the military, in the same way that large chunks of State land are officially under the control of/occupied (for training/bases/airfields) by military all around the world.

 

The same sort of land is being used, FOC, by Thai civilian businesses......owned by senior officers.

 

No purchase costs, no ground rent (no land tax?) for those businesses.

 

And who, hitherto, has been able or willing to argue with, or hold to account, the people who own those businesses?

 

In truth, all that is going to happen (as Bluesofa posts) is that the money trail will be made more opaque.

 

 

Edited February 13, 20206 yr by Enoon

You want to see what happens when the Thai "Military" yields some of it's land.   Just go down Sukumvit South to just after Ban Amphur and turn left towards Wat Yannasangwararam and make your way over to the Big Buddha at Silver Lake and see the "kings" land that the Navy Admirals sold yielded to private developers

 

Used to be a large "leased" pineapple plantation that is now a golf "village" with custom designed homes  

 

To the victor of a military coup go the spoils    

Smoke and mirrors.  'Part' of the revenue going to the welfare of the troops.  I imagine a teeny, tiny part.

"... Though the military does not train its personnel in business management, some officers hold business positions concurrently with their Army careers. They will henceforth have to remain in the barracks, Apirat said."

 

So some 3,000 Generals in the office all day, hey that's a great opportunity for new massive budgets (troughs) to build enough new buildings and furnish them so they all have a private office.

 

Plus perhaps another 3,000 idle officers under general all in the same boat.

 

An obvious reason to support massive reduction now in total numbers of officers.

 

 

...

Sorry but, l just can't stop rolling on the ground laughing!!!

How was he not diagnosed at childhood regarding his mental health issues. Retard must know that the minions already know how the military in this country operate.

Edited February 14, 20206 yr by Expat Brad
Typo

Would that mean family of Generals won't be able to run businesses on military land?
Does it also mean they won't be able to hold 2 or more jobs or positions at the same time? i.e lower house.

12 hours ago, Enoon said:

The land is "occupied", by the military, in the same way that large chunks of State land are officially under the control of/occupied (for training/bases/airfields) by military all around the world.

No, not like military "all around the world."

Especially with communist countries wherein the military operates under auspices of the Communist Party.

It's my understanding that the Thailand Royal Military does hold title to land in Thailand, part of which likely comes from direct grants from the Crown. Case in point was the military transfer of land for the development of the Doi Suthep court facilities and housing for the Administrative Office of Appeal Region 5 in the Mae Rim district. The Ministry of Treasury took receipt of the military's land title in that transfer that originally came from the Crown as part of a much larger grant of land. The military alone decided that the development met all environmental impact concerns.

I suspect that with the 1932 military coup the military may have had an opportunity to "transfer" to itself some of the Crown properties (ie., military bases?) without "proper remuneration."

I suggest that the Treasury conduct a full and independent accounting of all military titled property (any outside of Thailand?), including property under its control such as leased property from non-government entities wherein the military receives income by its possession.

Corruption wears many costumes and the depth of it defies eradication.