No more negotiating with ‘trespassers’, warns lawyer in Chalong land dispute

[Lite Beer]

No more negotiating with ‘trespassers’, warns lawyer in Chalong land dispute
Darawan Naknakhon

From left: V/gov Suthee, lawyer Mr Suthon Thaweesuwan; land owner Samran Saengyanuprab; associate Mr Sulak Kunarak and the chief of the Phuket provincial ombudsman.

PHUKET: A lawyer representing wealthy land owners in Chalong’s Moo 3 has affirmed that his clients will no longer negotiate with villagers illegally occupying their land, and will continue to press charges against villagers who refuse to vacate.

For years villagers of the Sa Ton Poe community – located in the area of Soi Palai in the southern part of the island – have been embattled in a dispute with wealthy investors who in 2008 acquired the disputed 83-rai plot of land where their community is located.

Despite mediation at the highest level, the dispute has continued to escalate with aggression reported by both sides.

Notably, in June last year, an arson attack on a work site was suspected to have been committed by disgruntled villagers.

And despite the navy intervening last September on behalf of the investors, who had produced legitimate land papers, the dispute continues, as many villagers refuse to leave.

Most recently, on Tuesday (June 16) 30 villagers visited the provincial ombudsman, to follow up on a previous request for protection, as the villagers claim they have been harassed by henchmen representing the investors, and that they still had strong suspicions about the legitamacy of the land papers.

In response, one of the land owner investors, Mr Samran Saengyanuprab, accompanied by an assosiate Mr Sulak Kunarak, and their lawyer Mr Suthon Thaweesuwan, visited the provincial omsbudman yesterday (June 19) afternoon, to submit their own formal complaint.

The men and their lawyer were received by Phuket Vice Governor Sutee Thongyaem and Phuket Damroangtham Centre Chief Praphan Kunprasaeng, who accepted the men’s formal request for swift justice, not only to vacate the villagers, but to prosecute them for smearing the land owners' reputations.

Along with a letter, the men also submitted supporting documents, including copies of the land title (chanote) in question and various court records.

“My clients have never hired any henchman to intimidate the villagers,” insisted the lawyer Mr Suthon.

“Furthermore, the land’s chanote is clearly legit, and has already been proven. The claims that it [the title] was for another unrelated piece of land, or that it was based on a tin mining concession, are just false. This has already been determined by the court,” he said.

The lawyer reveiled that a court has ruled in favor of the investors in 10 cases so far, out of 50 cases previously filed, including that against community chief, Mr Ron Maesungkhao, who, along with several convicted associates, are currently pending appeals.

“We’ve dropped charges in about 40 cases with villagers who agreed to leave, but we’ve also filed about 40-50 new cases,” the lawyer noted.

“My clients are done negotiating, and from now on, we’re only going to go by the rule of law,” he added.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/no-more-negotiating-with-trespassers-warns-lawyer-in-chalong-land-dispute-52872.php

-- Phuket News 2015-06-20

[casualbiker]

Wow.. I think "wealthy Phuket landowners" and going by the rule of law don't exactly work together. At least not from past news reports of other wealthy Phuket landowners!

[elgordo38]

Wow.. I think "wealthy Phuket landowners" and going by the rule of law don't exactly work together. At least not from past news reports of other wealthy Phuket landowners!

Wow rattling their sabres definitely old money here. Sounds like a game of verbal chicken who blinks first?

[Oziex1]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

[NamKangMan]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

"Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?" - the problem is, on Phuket particularly, "land" has been stolen by making a corrupt payment to an official to make a false / fake / forged, title for land.

Land titles have even been issued for the theft of public land here.

[Oziex1]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

"Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?" - the problem is, on Phuket particularly, "land" has been stolen by making a corrupt payment to an official to make a false / fake / forged, title for land.

Land titles have even been issued for the theft of public land here.

Yeah I'm aware of that.

I'm just too impatient, I would like to see them stop fluffing around get to the bottom of it and sort it.

Send the message on this issue.

I know what the response from fellow posters will be. TIT. Yep understood.

[snowgard]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

"Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?" - the problem is, on Phuket particularly, "land" has been stolen by making a corrupt payment to an official to make a false / fake / forged, title for land.

Land titles have even been issued for the theft of public land here.

Did you really think about what you say? Before there was a mining company and NO VILLAGERS!!! These villagers stole the land after the mining Company left an saled the land. Now they don't want give it back to the real owners with proofed chanots!!! How you can tell this stupid wrong comment about false titles?

[cookee68]

good luck

[NamKangMan]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

"Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?" - the problem is, on Phuket particularly, "land" has been stolen by making a corrupt payment to an official to make a false / fake / forged, title for land.

Land titles have even been issued for the theft of public land here.

Did you really think about what you say? Before there was a mining company and NO VILLAGERS!!! These villagers stole the land after the mining Company left an saled the land. Now they don't want give it back to the real owners with proofed chanots!!! How you can tell this stupid wrong comment about false titles?

I was speaking in general, not about this specific case.

There have been cases of corrupt payments being made to officials for the theft of land on Phuket.

Who knows where the truth lays in this case?

Have you sighted the Chanote title? Is it genuine? Can a chain of ownership be traced?

For all we know, these people are the decendents of the miners who bought their plot of land for their house off the mining company, but without seperate titles being made for them by the company.

They may have no legal claim over the land, but may have a legal claim over the company, if it is still in existence. Who knows? They obviously have an objection that they feel is valid.

TIT.

[stevenl]

Some one has the legal right to this land, so what is the problem here?

When the developers wanted the sea gypsies moved in Rawai they were moved by a substantial force of police.

Are you sure they were moved? AFAIK nothing happened.