Thai Cabinet To Consider Land-Reform Issues

[webfact]

Cabinet to consider land-reform issues

By Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

The Cabinet will today consider land-reform issues in response to landless farmers, who have been camping out on Bangkok streets demanding help.

Adviser to the Land Reform Network (LRN), Prayong Doklamyai, said yesterday the Cabinet was expected to approve a Bt167-million budget for buying 1,200 rai of land attached to non-performing loans from financial institutions and dividing it among 520 landless families by issuing community land-title deeds.

These families will then be able to pay for the land plots slowly.

"We also expect the Cabinet to approve the Bt52-million budget for providing low-priced housing units to people who don't own homes," Prayong added.

Pongthip Samranjit, another adviser to the LRN, said PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey had promised to take the issue to the Cabinet meeting.

Satit chairs a coordination committee in charge of issuing community land-title deeds and it has already approved the deeds to 35 communities.

"The government should instruct relevant authorities to quickly start providing plots to communities," Pongthip said.

LRN members have been rallying under the banner of the People's Movement or P Move outside Bangkok's Royal Plaza since February 16.

According to Pongthip, the promise was given after P Move told Satit that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry had said there were no laws supporting the division of land plots to communities at this point.

"He said relevant agencies should amend their laws and regulations to support what needs to be done while waiting for the legislation of the community land-title deeds," Pongthip said.

She added that the process of considering communities eligible for the land-title deeds should also be completed faster.

"After they've submitted all necessary documents, communities waiting for the land-title deeds should be given the right to use the land plots and develop their basic infrastructure," she said.

Pongthip expects the Cabinet to issue a resolution requiring authorities to drop charges against people accused of encroaching on land meant to be handed over to communities.

"Since the Land Bank will not be established overnight, the government should set up a revolving fund to help manage the community land-title deeds first," she said.

The Land Bank, once established, will buy land plots that will later be allocated to communities eligible for community land-title deeds. The bank will get its money back from co-operatives set up by the communities. The revolving fund is expected to fulfil the role of the Land Bank before it is established.

-- The Nation 2011-02-22

[djayz]

I wonder if enough farang camped out on the streets of BKK would the Land Reform Network / Cabinet also change the laws regarding farang ownership of land in Thailand...

[tragickingdom]

What a joke. Like with everything the elite does. (that is nothing), they wait till a few weeks before they leave office and leave the poor, poorer than before they were in power. If Abhisit really had balls he would have tackled this issue the day he assumed power, not the day before he loses power.

[whybother]

What a joke. Like with everything the elite does. (that is nothing), they wait till a few weeks before they leave office and leave the poor, poorer than before they were in power. If Abhisit really had balls he would have tackled this issue the day he assumed power, not the day before he loses power.

This has been on the cards for over 6 months with committees etc. and talked about long before that.

It seems to have got a lot further than when the man "for the poor" was in charge. There was a whole 5 years to get something done then, but nada.

Hopefully it will get voted on and put into law before the election. It will be interesting to see which groups support it.

[Ricardo]

<snip for brevity>

Hopefully it will get voted on and put into law before the election. It will be interesting to see which groups support it.

But surely the government would be able to rely upon the support of PTP, in passing such a law, what possible motive might they have for abstaining or voting against it ? I mean, they're the 'sole party of the poor', and in no way in-the-pocket of regional/feudal politically-influential power-brokers !

[Oberkommando]

Maybe the biggest landowners in the country could help?

[joka]

Largest five personal landowners on Earth:

Queen Elizabeth II 6,600 million acres

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia 553 million acres

King Bhumibol of Thailand 126 million acres

King Mohammed IV of Morocco 113 million acres

Sultan Quaboos of Oman 76 million acres

[lannarebirth]

Land Reform sorely needed but this initiative has nothing to do with that. This is a politco crony bank bailout poorly disguised as a micro-miniscule land reform initiative.

Edited February 22, 2011 by lannarebirth

[letitbe]

Largest five personal landowners on Earth:

Queen Elizabeth II 6,600 million acres

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia 553 million acres

King Bhumibol of Thailand 126 million acres

King Mohammed IV of Morocco 113 million acres

Sultan Quaboos of Oman 76 million acres

meaningless at least in case of UK they might own land but have no real control or ability to sell it or pass on to other than next heir its same as crown jewels uk queen may legally own them but in reality they belong to the state

more important are top 10 private landowners here which Mr T and family are sure to be in that list and most likely PM and all other top politicians here or anywhere

[notime]

1200 rai of land for 520 families gives each family a whooping 2.3 rai. They could then grow themselves something silly on such huge land plot. Good for few banana trees but what else if they are still expected to "be able to pay for the land plots slowly"?

And they dare to call this drop in an ocean of needs a "land reform"? Shame! 1200 rai is only 197 hectares so just under 2 sq km. In a country covering 513,120 sq km it constitutes not even 0.0004% of its territory. Perhaps one of the Thai wealthiest families could donate land of that size to the poor without seeing much dent in their huge holdings.

[Ricardo]

Absolutely, I understand the former-PM's wife already returned a small plot in Bangkok, to the government ?

There are also many cases of Forestry-Department land, on dodgy/limited chanot-papers, which were cleared long ago & have been (mostly) farmed since then. I recall hearing in 2005, that these papers were slowly being confirmed & upgraded, but we're still waiting on my wife's own little plot.

Strangely she can't replant teak, to grow as a cash-crop, since she's told it would be illegal to cut-down the replanted trees in 15-20 years' time ? Oh well, TiT. But certainly a few rule-changes might encourage more re-afforestation, and confirm the rights of people who've been living-on/working the land, for generations.

Land-reform is certainly needed !

[SICHONSTEVE]

What a joke. Like with everything the elite does. (that is nothing), they wait till a few weeks before they leave office and leave the poor, poorer than before they were in power. If Abhisit really had balls he would have tackled this issue the day he assumed power, not the day before he loses power.

This has been on the cards for over 6 months with committees etc. and talked about long before that.

It seems to have got a lot further than when the man "for the poor" was in charge. There was a whole 5 years to get something done then, but nada.

Hopefully it will get voted on and put into law before the election. It will be interesting to see which groups support it.

I agree!!! Abhisit is the best thing that has happened to Thailand in a long, long while. What he is doing with education and trying to help the poor is commendable and I hope he gets his reward soon in the imminent elections. I think that he can turn Thailand around and into one of the leading lights in South-east Asia. His intelligence and likeable persona is clear to see - I just hope that his people can see this and are not duped by Peua Thai into believing otherwise!!!