Phuket Group Fights Reclamation Moves

[webfact]

Phuket group fights reclamation moves

By The Nation

People living in prime areas may face eviction because they lack title deeds

Under strict National Reform Committee rules concerning the reclamation of property that is owned but not officially certified by ownership documents, a group of landowners are gravely concerned that their properties are being targeted because they are in prime areas where prices have skyrocketed.

At a recent seminar, a group of seven residents from the popular tourist area of Rawai Beach in Phuket said they would soon become tenants on the land on which their families had lived for more than 200 years, and be forced to pay people who possess the actual title deeds.

Phanuphong Pramongkij, a fisherman like his ancestors for generations before him, said a group of people had approached him recently and claimed the rights to his land, demanding that he pay monthly rent or face an eviction lawsuit.

"I am stunned over how that could be possible, as we have lived here for a very long time," he said.

He said those "landlords" also demanded that he sign a lease in addition to paying rent. "All I know is that it will never be possible for them to own the land on which I have lived since birth. It is possibly because the land that we live on is an ideal plot to build a resort."

Phanuphong and his six neighbours are now fighting eviction suits, using volunteer lawyers.

"We rely on vintage and family photos proving their [our families'] acquisition of the land before title deeds or land ownership documents were issued," he said.

He added that fishermen or villagers living on tourist islands, and who had acquired their land under similar conditions, were facing the same problem.

"They have become prisoners in their own homes, on their own land. Those locations are Ban Tukkae in Phuket, on Phi Phi Islands off the Krabi coast, and on Koh Li Pe off the Satun coast.

"Many of them now cannot even make small catches of fish and clams in coastal areas now designated as government property, or raise chickens or grow vegetables in areas proclaimed as the private property of those landlords," he said.

"Of those catching fish or harvesting clams, about 20 to my knowledge have been arrested and charged with encroaching on state property without permission. Many of them who could not pay bail for temporary release during trial have been detained," he added.

In Patong Beach on the other side of Phuket, a number of people whose homes were swept away by the tsunami in 2004 built makeshift shelters near the beach, only to have the land later designated as government property.

Anurak Rakbanjong, one of the tsunami victims, said he believed it was because the area was a prime location looking out along the entire beach, which later prompted a local politician to designate it as government property.

Anurak now pays Bt1,000 daily for the privilege of not having to move away, besides having to fight an eviction lawsuit.

"I refuse to leave, because I have no place to go. If they want me to leave, they must find me a place. They just can't chase me away," he said.

Quoting his lawyer, Anurak said the local authorities were permitted under certain conditions to designate any area as state property.

"I believe that it was done to lease the land for profitmaking purposes, in favour of some businesspeople," he said.

Meanwhile in Nonthaburi, where such landownership problems are not reported, or at least not widespread, the ineffective enforcement of civil planning regulations, or the total lack of such rules, has contributed to urban environmental problems.

These include traffic congestion, toxic industrial discharges and hygiene problems due to poor garbage disposal, which go hand in hand with the development and expansion of urban areas.

Nanthana Srithanomwong, a resident of a community near Wat Lanna Bun, said debris from construction was dumped illegally in roadside sewage, which caused regular flooding and decay during the wet season or after heavy rain, in addition to constant traffic congestion she said had not existed in her childhood.

A large number of restaurants and pubs have sprung up along the newly built Rama V Road, which causes traffic congestion and contributes to road accidents caused by drunk driving, in addition to an increase in the frequency of burglary or mugging.

"A number of residents have even contemplated selling their homes and finding new ones elsewhere," she said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-07

[asiawatcher]

Simply more about greed and the Phuket Mafia. What a cesspool of scum this location houses. I can't remember anyone asking American Indians or Australian Aboriginals for a title deed, especially if they were there long before there was even any form of governance. And the land there as well as in Phuket, had no right of ownership to anyone. It is only since corrupt governance and historical invasions that the vanquished have all been removed. Seems even ancient families of Thailand will become another victim. But I a sure a lot of this is standover tactics. Sad for these people.