Surat Thani Palm Plantation Owners Protest At Airport

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Surat Thani palm plantation owners protest against unfairness

SURAT THANIA: -- A group of palm plantation owners in Surat Thani yesterday threatened to disrupt services at the provincial airport if their demand to rent a large stateowned land plot was not met.

The protestors accused the provincial land office of renting the 4,181rai area in Pun Pin district to business owners without collecting revenue and unfairly turning down their request to rent the property to do farming.

The protestors, who are members of a local savings cooperative, said they had collected a large sum of money for the deposit that the land office had demanded last year to qualify them to rent the land. The money was handed over to the land office, which still hasn't proceeded with their request.

Chakhrit Sriphirommitr, the cooperative manager, said businesses operating in the area had received reminders from his group that their rental contracts had ended but they had refused to move out. "The villagers have no choice but to take action to take care of the government property," he added.

After the rental contract ended on Sunday, Chakhrit said his group would wait and see how the land office reacted, and if nothing happened his group would surround the City Hall, the land office and the provincial airport to push further.

The protestors later met provincial governor Damri Bunjing, who promised to come up with a quick response to their demands. Damri and his officials said the provincial authorities would not take any initiatives without a government order, but they did not elaborate.

-- The Nation 2010-02-02

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