Thailand's Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Chalermchai Srion, has instructed provincial governors across the country to investigate reports of illegal land sales involving state property intended for landless farmers.

 

This directive follows revelations from a Senate committee, spearheaded by Senator Chivaparb Chivatham, concerning the exploitation of 80,000 hectares (roughly 500,000 rai) originally allocated under a government initiative to aid impoverished farmers.

 

The investigation focuses on land in the eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Trat, where large sections of land have reportedly fallen into the hands of private entities and Chinese investors using nominees.

 

This land, meant for those without any, is being converted into expansive durian plantations, including unauthorised artesian wells and a reservoir illegally filled with diverted stream water.

 

Minister Chalermchai has made it clear that any land distributed under the Khor Thor Chor scheme found to be sold illegally will be reclaimed by the government. Instead of remaining with those who violate the agreement, the land will be turned into community forests or will be reforested, reasserting the land's return to public utility.

The original intention of the initiative was noble. The Forest Department contributed around 1.15 million hectares (7.2 million rai) of degraded forest to facilitate this land redistribution, with each landless farmer receiving approximately 3.2 hectares (20 rai) under conditions that strictly forbid resale.

 

To date, more than 78,000 families have benefited from about 80,000 hectares (520,000 rai) of distributed land. The remainder of the allocated land is still waiting to be parcelled out to prospective farming families.

 

Despite this breach of the system, Forest Department Director-General Surachai Achalaboon reassures the public that the scale of illegal transactions is minor. He insists that the overall integrity and intent of the land distribution effort remain robust.

 

This inquiry highlights a critical challenge in land management—a balance between fair allocation and vigilant enforcement. The outcome will likely shape future policy direction and oversight mechanisms to protect land meant for those in need from falling prey to profitable ventures.

 

Authorities aim to ensure that such violations do not undermine the programme's success or its promise to support landless citizens looking to build sustainable livelihoods, reported Thai PBS.

 

-- 2025-03-04

 

 

If there was a good registration system, modern and computerized, there would never be a problem. Transfers of land should be done by lawyer or solliciters instead hand over papers which could be fake or not registered.. We don't live in the 19th century anymore and everybody who owns land or want to buy land should be able to visit the registers.... but here it is only paperwork and stamps and old fashion way of handling this poperty with all kind problems and fake transactions.

 

Yes.  It is totally antiquated at the Land Dept with those ancient title deeds falling to pieces with many supplementary pages stapled on to accommodate loads of transfers.  Lots of fraud takes place, including production of fake deeds for forest reserve land, much of it done by Land Dept officials.