Phuket sea gypsies decline to move sacred site to appease developer

[snoop1130]

Phuket sea gypsies decline to move sacred site to appease developer
Darawan Naknakhon



PHUKET: -- The Rawai sea gypsy community have turned down an offer to move their scared site to 800 square metres of land donated by developer Baron World Trade Co Ltd so that the company may build a 33-rai villa project where the villagers once prayed.

Instead they will take the “title fight” to court in the belief that the land titles being used to claim ownership of the land were issued illegally.

Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada relayed the news after a closed-door meeting at Provincial Hall today (Feb 2).

“Chatree Madsatun, the legal representative of Baron World Trade Co Ltd, said at the meeting that the Baron World Trade Co Ltd had proposed a solution by offering 2 ngan (800sqm) of land for villagers to use as a new ceremony site and asked that the villagers move their ceremonial sala, or ‘Balai table’, to this new site,” Gov Chamroen told reporters after the meeting.

“But the majority of the villagers refused to relocate their ancestral place of worship, so we asked the company to reconsider the plan,” he added.

Another sticking point that became evident today was that the Chanote land title used by Baron World Trade Co Ltd to claim the beachfront plot of the development did not mark that the actual foreshore was public land.

“When we examined the Chanote, we discovered that the adjacent public land was not marked on it, so Vice Governor Dr Prajiad Aksornthammakul will take care of this issue and we will get a proper document issued for public land,” Gov Chamroen said.

“We have informed the sea gypsies that they will be allowed to use this public land to access their boats,” he added.

Among those present at the meeting were National Human Rights Commissioner Gen Surin Pikulthong and Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin, who is the chief of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Bureau of Consumer Protection and Environment Crime.

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-sea-gypsies-decline-to-move-sacred-site-to-appease-developer-56028.php

-- Phuket News 2016-02-02

[LivinginKata]

What a bad photo of the Phuket Gov - smug look ?? unfortunate.

As for the other guy 'Chatree Madsatun' - he has a stern stoic look ...

[Praematura]

6 year old girl next store has the same look as the guy in pink shirt when she doesn't get her way.

Is there any base meritocracy left here in Thailand...apparently not.

[webfact]

Sea gypsies win the right to use a passage way to their ancestral cemetery



PHUKET: -- Moken sea gypsies in Phuket have won the right to use a passage way on the Rawai beach to their ancestral cemetery following a tri-party meeting on Tuesday to resolve the land conflict between the sea gypsies and a real estate developer.

Examination of land deeds and aerial photographs show that the passage way about 250 metres long and three metres wide through the Rawai beach is not covered by the land title deed of the developer, Baron World Trade Company.

The Phuket provincial administration will make the passage way public land which will be used by the public and the Moken people to walk from their village to the ancestral cemetery and to the beach front where they keep their boars ashore.

During the meeting which was chaired by Phuket governor, Baron World Trade representatives offered to give half a rai of its land worth about 30 million baht to the Mokens in exchange for moving their cemetery and venue of worship to the new plot of land so they don’t have to walk through the company’s land which will be developed into luxurious villas.

The Mokens however rejected the offer claiming that the cemetery and the place of worship could not be replaced. They proposed that the offered land should be used as worshipping ground.

The two opposing sides agreed that they are entitled to take their case to the court if they cannot agree on any issues.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/149211


-- Thai PBS 2016-02-03

[steelepulse]

>>During the meeting which was chaired by Phuket governor, Baron World Trade representatives offered to give half a rai of its land worth about 30 million baht to the Mokens in

Giving away land that was illegally obtained by all accounts. How generous of them!

[scorecard]

What a bad photo of the Phuket Gov - smug look ?? unfortunate.

As for the other guy 'Chatree Madsatun' - he has a stern stoic look ...

You need a hobby.

[worgeordie]

What usually happens in situations like this,is

it gets solved with a bullet or two.

regards Worgeordie

[overherebc]

How about a heading on the lines of,

Developer agrees to financially assist the sea gypsies to develop their land and sea access and assist in making the area a nice tourist attraction with modern facilities as part of their village development.

[HerbalEd]

How about a heading on the lines of,

Developer agrees to financially assist the sea gypsies to develop their land and sea access and assist in making the area a nice tourist attraction with modern facilities as part of their village development.

What about: "After violent threats don't work, developer tries a conciliatory strategy to take sea gypsies' sacred land."