Navy, Air Force also asked to return state land

By Wichit Chaitrong
The Nation

 

 

The Finance Ministry has asked the Royal Thai Navy and Air Force to follow the Army and return state land holdings, a senior official said.

 

We had discussed with the Army many months ago about returning state land to the Finance Ministry, Yuttana Yimgarund, director-general of the Treasury Department, told The Nation.

 

 

 

The move is not a result of the tragic mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima last week, but the incident may only accelerate the process, he said. The department has tried for many years to get state land back but progress has been very slow.

 

Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong told the public after the bloody mass shooting that the Army will return state lands and some businesses operated by the Army to the Finance Ministry. There are 40 businesses, including a Thai boxing stadium, golf course and hotel.

 

Yuttana said that the department had also sent letters to the Navy and Air Force asking them to return unnecessary state land occupied by them.

 

He cited the example of the Thai Royal Navy agreeing to return land in Samae San in Sattahip district, an eastern coast, covering more than 10,000 rai. However, about 3,000 people have unlawfully occupied the land, he said.

 

While the department has discussed with the Air Force to return land in Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani, two northeastern provinces, and Chiang Mai, a northern province, this land covers about 3,000 to 4,000 rai, he said.

 

The department also has asked other state agencies to do the same.

 

More than a million rai of land currently under control of state agencies need to be returned to the ministry, of which the military accounts for about 50 per cent, the Agricultural and Cooperatives Ministry 25 per cent, and Education Ministry 10 per cent. State-owned hospitals also hold some land. By law, only the Treasury Department could rent state land out to the people; other state agencies are not permitted to do it, he said.

 

In the past, state agencies used land to do small businesses in order to provide welfare services to military personnel or civil servant officials.

 

But as the country has progressed, those small shops or hotels have expanded and provided services to outside people too.

 

State agencies could keep small business activities that serve the welfare of the security forces or civil servants, but they, by law, cannot run full-pledged private businesses, he said.

 

For commercial activities, the Army, Thai Navy, Air Force and other state agencies have to consult with the Comptroller-General’s Department on how to manage them and how to share revenue with the state coffers and allocating for welfare programmes, he said.

 

The revenue sharing could be 30 per cent for welfare of those agencies and 70 per cent for the state coffers.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382218

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-16

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1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The Finance Ministry has asked the Royal Thai Navy and Air Force to follow the Army and return state land holdings, a senior official said.

'asked'. Says it all.

One has to ponder. Army is employed by a government. Why are they operating as a private identity lol. What a country 

Time for the military to get rid of tv stations as well

Transparency please. It is the peoples land, if it is leased or rented to a private concern show everyone what the revenue is and where it goes.

7 hours ago, bluesofa said:

'asked'. Says it all.

Good point, but what happens next, if the land is returned to the control of the Finance ministry, will it be sold and the proceeds deposited into national revenues, or will the Finance ministry encourage leasing of the land for fully legal business activity?

 

And will they ensure land which has special status and cannot be used for any form of business purpose is not used illegally and there is serious continuously monitored to ensure there is zero encroachment? Etc? 

When going to the "military beaches" in Sattahip one can see many houses built next to the roads. Prime land. They won't move anywhere without a fight.

16 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

When going to the "military beaches" in Sattahip one can see many houses built next to the roads. Prime land. They won't move anywhere without a fight.

Ah, civil war.

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Ah, civil war.

You jest, and I am sure that neither of us wish to see it, but it is the most likely if perhaps only way that land, property and businesses will be prized from the paws of the military.

3 hours ago, Redline said:

Time for the military to get rid of tv stations as well

AFAIK they only have 1 TV station but 125 radio stations. 

6 minutes ago, billd766 said:

AFAIK they only have 1 TV station but 125 radio stations. 

like to see then try to Pull The Rug out from under tv5 

 - a lot of shifty quick sidestepping to come... 

 

 

16 hours ago, billd766 said:

AFAIK they only have 1 TV station but 125 radio stations. 

Do other parts of the government own tv stations?  I thought two or three were owned/operated by the government?

Edited February 17, 20206 yr by Redline

8 minutes ago, Redline said:

Do other parts of the government own tv stations?

I don't really know but I Googled "How many TV and radio stations does the Thai government own" and Wikipedia came up with this.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_of_Thailand

 

Television is by far the most popular medium in Thailand. Almost 80 percent of Thais are estimated to rely on television as their primary source of news.[8] Major television stations are owned and controlled by the Royal Thai Army or and government.

 

Radio
Thailand has 204 AM stations, 334 FM stations, and six shortwave broadcasters (as of 2011). As is the case with television, radio broadcasting is supposed to be regulated by the Broadcasting Commission (NBC). However, because there were delays in establishing the NBC (now NBTC), radio frequencies had remained in the hands of several governmental agencies, including the military, state universities, The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, The Government Public Relations Department (PRD) (National Broadcasting Services of Thailand), and MCOT Public Company Limited. These agencies operate several stations directly while the remainder are leased out to private content providers.[9]

 

There is a lot more than this including mass media newspapers, internet etc and it is too long to past here.

 

I found it very interesting to read and I did not realise how much the government controls through its various ministries.

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I don't really know but I Googled "How many TV and radio stations does the Thai government own" and Wikipedia came up with this.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_of_Thailand

 

Television is by far the most popular medium in Thailand. Almost 80 percent of Thais are estimated to rely on television as their primary source of news.[8] Major television stations are owned and controlled by the Royal Thai Army or and government.

 

Radio
Thailand has 204 AM stations, 334 FM stations, and six shortwave broadcasters (as of 2011). As is the case with television, radio broadcasting is supposed to be regulated by the Broadcasting Commission (NBC). However, because there were delays in establishing the NBC (now NBTC), radio frequencies had remained in the hands of several governmental agencies, including the military, state universities, The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, The Government Public Relations Department (PRD) (National Broadcasting Services of Thailand), and MCOT Public Company Limited. These agencies operate several stations directly while the remainder are leased out to private content providers.[9]

 

There is a lot more than this including mass media newspapers, internet etc and it is too long to past here.

 

I found it very interesting to read and I did not realise how much the government controls through its various ministries.

Thanks, I will do some reading this evening 

Come in your time is up radared to the flyboys and of course as heard in every port of call, Hello Sailor....

On 2/16/2020 at 6:18 AM, rooster59 said:

 

We had discussed with the Army many months ago about returning state land to the Finance Ministry, Yuttana Yimgarund, director-general of the Treasury Department, told The Nation. The move is not a result of the tragic mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima last week, but the incident may only accelerate the process, he sa

 

 

I wonder how sticky the egg on Apirat's face must feel - he must be fuming.

3 minutes ago, SABloke said:

I wonder how sticky the egg on Apirat's face must feel - he must be fuming.

but he's safe!

- one of the elite clique that is immune to this weeks Love Island evictions...