Land Ownership Problems Are Mostly Local Issues: Thai Opinion

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EDITORIAL

Land ownership problems are mostly local issues

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Knee-jerk reactions against foreigners belie the fact that Thais suffer at the hands of each other, due to unfair and unclear laws and practices, when it comes to property

With the issue of land grabbing catching the public's attention recently, action should be taken to enable farmers to prosper as land ownership changes.

The focus of the land ownership debate should not be a racial issue against foreigners or strangers taking over local properties; it should be seen as a challenge on how to strengthen farmers' bargaining power and improving coordination to ensure good land governance that benefits whole communities.

The claim that foreigners had control over a vast amount of land in Thailand made the headlines here last month when Ombudsman Siracha Charoenpanij asserted during a seminar that foreigners owned up to a third of land in Thailand, via nominees or by exploiting loopholes in the land ownership law.

Most of the land in question is in coastal areas and used for property development. But there are also a number of land plots used for agriculture that are reportedly owned by foreign investors.

Other Southeast Asian countries face similar questions. Investors have entered developing countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Thailand to invest in agricultural commodities and contract farming, due to the rising demand for farm produce worldwide, coupled with the supportive demography in the region.

Land grabbing comes with large-scale investment and the global goal to secure food supplies. Big foreign investors have previously focused on acquiring land in Africa for agri-business ventures. The Southeast Asian region has now become a new centre in the rush for agricultural land.

According to an International Institute for the Environment and Development (IIED) report, between 2000 and 2010, foreign direct investment grew more than five-fold in Cambodia, from US$149 million to $783million. Neighbouring Laos saw even bigger growth - from $31 million in 2000 to $350 million in 2010.

Only a fraction of this money is aimed at agriculture, but investment in that sector has also seen rapid growth. Investment flowing to agriculture, forestry and fishing across the region increased by 66 per cent between 2000 and 2005, according to the IIED.

The rising demand for commodities that serve various purposes has propelled the investment in agriculture. The IIED notes that there are reports of substantial joint ventures for biofuel in the pipeline in the Philippines. In a number of countries, China is among the top three investors. China accounts for half of all foreign investment in agriculture in Laos, and Chinese nationals account for about half of all foreign-owned land concessions in Cambodia. Thai companies have also spread out their investments in agricultural commodities to Cambodia and Laos.

The regional agri-business sector is booming in line with the rising global demand for food and crop-derived commodities. This is a surging new business environment that cannot now be turned around as countries become more closely connected and populations increase at a dramatic rate. However, companies investing abroad are sometimes poorly regulated and badly governed, and their operations directly affect the livelihood of the communities they are investing in.

But this is not to suggest that all, or any, local authorities are racially prejudiced. It is almost impossible to resist the trend of foreign investment in agriculture and the rewards it can bring. But the challenge is how to ensure that local people also prosper in a sustainable manner. Agricultural models need to be based on local people's interests. Farming methods should not lead to the destruction of the environment. Local people should be given the opportunity to hold shares in local property in order to create a real sense of ownership. Local food security must not be undermined. Local farmers must be clearly informed of the farming methods and their consequences.

Meanwhile, land reform in Thailand must be accelerated to ensure fairness for the original owners of land and property. The ancestral lands of indigenous peoples must be recognised. Otherwise, investors will continue to exploit loopholes in the law to claim ownership of such lands.

It is not only foreign investors who can pose a threat to farmers and local communities; there are plenty of selfish Thai investors who do not have good governance, economic and environmental sustainabilty or fairness in mind.

-- The Nation 2012-04-11

[belg]

"Thai companies have also spread out their investments in agricultural commodities to Cambodia and Laos"

so hypocrite... thais can buy land anywhere in the world, but watch out for the farang, that he never can own land on his own name, because he might steal it and bring it back to his own country

how backwards can you be ?

most land in thailand is own by either by 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation chinese who bought up most of everything and enslaving the people

[TommoPhysicist]

I don't believe this report claims 'white foreigners' as the buyers.

Agricultural purchases are mainly being made by other Asians, Chinese in particular.

Hard to see how it can be stopped.

[TPI]

Damned if I know why they stopped the land tax? The rates on my wife's family house is 8 baht a year! How does the local govt. pay for its infrastructure?

[anterian]

For every foreigner who wants to grab a large parcel of land and build a hotel or housing estate there are probable a hundred others that just want to build a home and raise a family. Yet we are all tarred with the same Xenophobic brush.

[ZeroDesire]

I don't believe this report claims 'white foreigners' as the buyers.

Where does the article say "white foreigners"? It's just your imagination. Jeez, you're so paranoid about being discriminated.

[ZeroDesire]

most land in thailand is own by either by 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation chinese who bought up most of everything and enslaving the people

Why are you so envy the success of Chinese Thai in Thailand? The entire world economy has been concurred by the European descents for over a century. They physically enslave African people and economically enslave the Asians and Latinos. That's much worse than the land grabbing.

[Thai at Heart]

most land in thailand is own by either by 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation chinese who bought up most of everything and enslaving the people

Why are you so envy the success of Chinese Thai in Thailand? The entire world economy has been concurred by the European descents for over a century. They physically enslave African people and economically enslave the Asians and Latinos. That's much worse than the land grabbing.

Because the story that "foreigners" are the bogey man under then bed, when it comes to land ownership is complete nonsense. The land in Thailand has already been bought by a silent minority, and they aren't about to let anyone else in on the game, by continuing to hide behind this "foreign" nonsense.

It isn't jealousy, it is because a lie is being used to protect a very narrow Thai(Chinese) business interest, who according to the story are working in the national interest, whilst running all the way to the bank, whilst the little guy gets screwed. The little guy is very much the national interest, and is it of any importance by which nationality he gets paid?

[Gary A]

They don't have to look any further than the Thai politicians. It would be interesting to investigate how much land politicians, their bogus companies and families actually own and how that land was acquired. It's unfortunate that Thai people respect money and power regardless of how those people became wealthy and powerful.

[Berkshire]

I don't believe this report claims 'white foreigners' as the buyers.

Agricultural purchases are mainly being made by other Asians, Chinese in particular.

Hard to see how it can be stopped.

Agree. Farangs shouldn't get so paranoid when Thais talk about foreign land ownership. It's more about not getting overrun by regional powers.

[oldsailor35]

most land in thailand is own by either by 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation chinese who bought up most of everything and enslaving the people

Why are you so envy the success of Chinese Thai in Thailand? The entire world economy has been concurred by the European descents for over a century. They physically enslave African people and economically enslave the Asians and Latinos. That's much worse than the land grabbing.

I do not think that it "envy" Belg is just pointing out the facts of the situation. Chinese do own a hell of a lot of Thailand.

[oldsailor35]

They don't have to look any further than the Thai politicians. It would be interesting to investigate how much land politicians, their bogus companies and families actually own and how that land was acquired. It's unfortunate that Thai people respect money and power regardless of how those people became wealthy and powerful.

Yes and start with Khun Suthep and his wealthy cronies ! When it was his job to allocate over 500 blocks of government land in the south to poor farmers, he "accidentially" gave 9 prime blocks to wealthy friends and families.

[billd766]

They don't have to look any further than the Thai politicians. It would be interesting to investigate how much land politicians, their bogus companies and families actually own and how that land was acquired. It's unfortunate that Thai people respect money and power regardless of how those people became wealthy and powerful.

Yes and start with Khun Suthep and his wealthy cronies ! When it was his job to allocate over 500 blocks of government land in the south to poor farmers, he "accidentially" gave 9 prime blocks to wealthy friends and families.

How about investigating K Thaksin, his family and their cronies or is that double standards........again?

[animatic]

I don't believe this report claims 'white foreigners' as the buyers.

Agricultural purchases are mainly being made by other Asians, Chinese in particular.

Hard to see how it can be stopped.

It's slight of hand, see whom I am blaming in my left hand,

so you don't see who really is to blame in my right hand,

and how much they are paying me to distract you.

[bigbamboo]

They don't have to look any further than the Thai politicians. It would be interesting to investigate how much land politicians, their bogus companies and families actually own and how that land was acquired. It's unfortunate that Thai people respect money and power regardless of how those people became wealthy and powerful.

Yes and start with Khun Suthep and his wealthy cronies ! When it was his job to allocate over 500 blocks of government land in the south to poor farmers, he "accidentially" gave 9 prime blocks to wealthy friends and families.

Yep, you can start with Suthep if you want and then go all the way to the very top. You can count the number of honest Thai politicians on one hand.

[hellodolly]

I don't understand it. If all these big foreigners are buying the agriculture land it would seem to me that they would improve on the system. It still cost a lot more to produce rice here in Thailand than in Viet Nam.

I think it is still the Thai's who own it and they are not prone to change. And I call a Thai some one who has roots going back generations don't really care where the roots originated.