Khon Kaen squatters to be given title deeds in bid to close income gap

By THE NATION

 

 

The Treasury Department is offering title deeds for 1,100 plots under its jurisdiction to farmers and locals in Khon Kaen province to help promote earnings and cut down on economic disparity.

 

Deputy Finance Minister Santi Phromphat said on Friday (August 28) that the Treasury Department was offering title deeds to 1,100 farmers and residents of Nonsomboon sub-district in Khon Kaen’s Ban Haed district as part of the “Thanarak Pracharat” campaign.

 

“This campaign is part of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy PM General Prayut Wongsuwan’s policies to promote earning opportunities for local people, reduce income disparity and drive the grassroots economy forward,” he said.

 

“The land offered to Khon Kaen locals came from the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control, which returned the land to the Treasury Department after shutting down the Leprosy Treatment Centre on the site earlier,” Santi said.

 

“Since locals were already illegally farming or occupying the land, the department decided to offer them title deeds so they can become legal tenants at the ultra-low rate of Bt200 per rai per annum for farmers and Bt0.5 per square wah per month for residences. The government is also offering a grace period of one year for rents, which should help alleviate people’s financial burden due to Covid-19,” the minister said.

 

“These title deeds can also be used as a collateral for loans taken at state-run financial institutes, which should be very useful in case they wish to expand their farming business or rebuild their homes,” Santi said.

 

The department has more than 12 million rai of land under its jurisdiction that has not been utilised, the minister said.

 

“So far, the department has surveyed and allotted more than 10,000 plots of land in six provinces. The next land title deed handout will take place in Nakhon Sawan on September 11.”

 

“The department also aims to offer 1.05 million rai of land to over 73,000 people by the end of 2022, because the latest land-survey technology has accelerated ownership verification process from one to two years per plot to just one to two months,” he added.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30393672

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-08-28

 

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that sounds like a good initiative but without wanting to sound negative, something will be required from the people and maybe they can't provide it, like the old question, are they "legal" Thai citizens with proper documents or maybe half of them don't fit the minimum required standards

40 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

at the ultra-low rate of Bt200 per rai per annum for farmers and Bt0.5 per square wah per month for residences.

"giving it to them"; o wait , and charging them rent, hmmmm

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

“These title deeds can also be used as a collateral for loans taken at state-run financial institutes, which should be very useful in case they wish to expand their farming business or rebuild their homes,”

A state-run institution (bank) came to our village and said my wife would qualify for a 500K loan using her 20 rai of land with chanote as security. She doesn't have a job so in theory, forgetting for the moment she has a Farang husband, the only way to pay off the loan would be farming the 20 rai. How long would that take at today's prices for the typical cash crops? And the younger generation has no interest in farming. The loan would ever be paid off.

 

Most of our neighbors, if not all, buy into these schemes and pay only interest year after year. The Thai-Chinese and Chinese will end up with much of this land at bargain prices when it finally goes into foreclosure.

Just wait till the homeless occupy empty farang houses and get given them

In a few years the Government will bulldoze everything down saying they don't have proper title to the land.

 

as long as they cannot be sold to other people... guess what is going to happen when somchai needs money

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“These title deeds can also be used as a collateral for loans taken at state-run financial institutes, which should be very useful in case they wish to expand their farming business or rebuild their homes,” Santi said.

So, a family is given a plot at a nominal peppercorn rent. They then borrow on that to build a house. End up being unable to pay the loan, the bank takes the land and house........seems like a good land laundering scheme hatched out by someone high up connected to banks and big money.

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

which returned the land to the Treasury Department after shutting down the Leprosy Treatment Centre on the site earlier,” Santi said.

Comes with a bonus... 

 

Not knowing others situation I’ll only speak of my clan up here in NE village. 15ish (Paid’ rai potato (5) and rice (10) enough rice for 9 months of the year. At best break even leaning more to loss... 

 

Following doesn’t pertain to us.

 

the suggestion of borrowing money on the land they’ll get free deed but rent? I don’t think many farmers will be able to pay it back..

 

The adult children in village we’re at some will convince grandma and grandpa to take a loan.. the grandma and grandpa don’t know any better..

 

 

They will now use this as security to buy a pickup 

On 8/28/2020 at 5:50 PM, snoop1130 said:

The next land title deed handout

more for show nonsense, why not  just sen them a  letter  by  post

19 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

as long as they cannot be sold to other people... guess what is going to happen when somchai needs money

yes by me a colonel in the army bought some land which cant be sold from a local in the  village

On 8/28/2020 at 6:32 PM, YetAnother said:

"giving it to them"; o wait , and charging them rent, hmmmm

I had a good laugh at that!  It's a bit Alice in Wonderland I think.  People occupy land illegally then got to own the land and pay annual rent!  Why wasn't the land sold on the open market to return the costs of owning and developing the land to the state???

Yes I know, certain people want to feel good and pretend they are benevolent individuals.

19 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

as long as they cannot be sold to other people... guess what is going to happen when somchai needs money

Bit like some of the land here which was given at the kings pleasure...but not to be sold...which has been sold several times!