Landless Farmers Demand Help from the Government

[Jacob Maslow]

Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Government House on Thursday, demanding that the government provide them with urgent solutions to their problems. The majority of the demonstrators are looking for help with land disputes.

Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Deputy Government Spokesman, accepted petitions from the group, which was led by PMove (People’s Movement for a Just Society). The protestors were reassured that their issues would be given careful consideration and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Prayong Doklamyai, a representative of PMove, stated that the protestors were being victimized by new government policies. Many of the people in the group were facing encroachment allegations despite the fact that they were already living on the land before it was even marked as a national park or forest reserve.

There are approximately 490 cases like this, and many of those who are affected by new encroachment policies showed up at the protest. Other participants were individuals who were facing land disputes with other government agencies as well as people who are affected by new government projects.

PMove stated that the group had already spoken with the government about these issues, and measures to resolve the problem were arranged in January. However, 90 days have passed and nothing has been done.

-- 2015-04-25

[phil2]

They're the architect of their own problems. They always end up selling the lands to wealthy people.

[pedro01]

Landless farmer?

Anyone could call themselves that.

[trogers]

Help should only be given on the understanding that the land provided to them for farming belongs to the country forever.

They are issued the right to farm on the land, and such a right ceases when farming by them stops, and the land shall be returned to the State to assist others.

[tx22cb]

Landless farmer?

Anyone could call themselves that.

And I'm a penniless millionaire

[slapout]

They're the architect of their own problems. They always end up selling the lands to wealthy people.

a good title for many of these landless farmers is ''gophers'' they are sent in to strip the forest/national park of all vegitation, plant some corn or what ever, harvest and sell to the wealthy who backed them to start with. they include the land in the sale as well

they change their name and or use another family member and repeat this systimatic theft until they have secured a large enough farm to go into production full time. of course a few land documents are produced by some little civil servent to make a show of some legal proceedings having taken place.

they ignore the slope angles which are over what is allowed for any commercial use of the land and even send in big equipment to knock the top off of the landscape to make it appear as qualifying as gently rolling farm land. there are topographic maps to prove this if the enforcement groups would get serious.

only here do you hear reference to a ''landless farmer'' you can not be a farmer if you have no land and burning/cutting/destroying nature is not farming nor can you forge documents that give you any legal claim to this national disgraceful scam.

[nahkbin]

When are Thais every going to REQUEST something rather than always DEMAND?

[lvr181]

They're the architect of their own problems. They always end up selling the lands to wealthy people.

Really? Read the post again. Some, may have sold to wealthy people but not all.

"...despite the fact that they were already living on the land before it was even marked as a national park or forest reserve" (italics are mine). What about these ones?

[attento]

How many years ago were these national parks or forest reserves created ?

Not recently. What's been happening up to now ?

Why couldn't the previous administration have sorted this "problem", with their well-publicised sympathy and affinity for the rural poor ?