Thai task force finds false claims and encroachment on state land

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Task force finds false claims and encroachment on state land
By The Nation

 

 

PRACHINBURI: -- The special crime suppression task force, Phaya Sua, has found false claims on agricultural land reform and forest encroachment through the abuse of state power in Thap Lan National Park, part of the Dong Phaya Yen-Khao Yai World Heritage site.

 

Nearly 1,000 rai out of 2,762 rai inspected and seized by the taskforce have been found having false claims laid as the agricultural land reform plots, highlighting the forest encroachment resulted from abuses of state power.

 

The task force held the press conference yesterday, summing up its two-week operation in Thap Lan, which is the country's second largest with around 1.4 million rai (224,000 hectares).

 

The park has suffered  extensive encroachment with many popular resorts set up by influential figures, including politicians and high ranking officials. 

 

The problem has been raised in recent years at the World Heritage Committee meetings – described as one of its "most depressing" issues, and one that posed a threat to the world heritage status. 

 

The government has been trying to address the issue since 2011 by strictly enforcing forest laws against encroachers. 

 

These include the high-profile case involving former deputies of the national police chief Pol General Jumpol Manmai, who was brought to Nakhon Ratchasima's provincial court earlier this month to hear the verdict on the charge against him of encroaching on the forest. He received a jail term after confessing. 

 

However, a number of resort owners still refuse to give up their illegal land plots. This has led park officials to enforce Article 22 under the National Parks Act, which gives them the power to remove properties encroaching on park areas after 30 days' notice. 

 

Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn, who heads up the taskforce, told the press conference that the taskforce would proceed with filing complaints against agricultural land reform officials who were found to help encroachers to lay false claims over plots, and ask Alro to revoke the claims. 

 

As of March 29, 482 encroachment charges have been laid in Thap Lan, with a number of cases involving such false claims, reflecting the problem of unclear boundary demarcation between state lands that opens a loophole for exploitation. 

 

The government is trying to fix this problem by introducing "One map", the new map ratio to be used by all state agencies working on state land.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30310731

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-30

[craigt3365]

Hopefully they'll go after the government officials that allowed this to happen.  And made money doing so.

[kannot]

If they actually do anything the first thing  will be to construct hundreds of jails which aint going to  happen.

The best they can do is give everyone a pardon who confesses  now and hands back the land  letting them know next time its jail for 10 years minimum...............doubt anything  will happen personally

[darksidedog]

"The park has suffered  extensive encroachment with many popular resorts set up by influential figures, including politicians and high ranking officials."

And that is the admission of how Thailand runs. Politicians and high ranking officials take whatever they want with impunity, until now at least.

The courts need to throw every single one of those caught behind bars for a long time, and sieze the assets of them too.

[spacebass]

Have You ever seen a dream walking.

[robblok]

2 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Hopefully they'll go after the government officials that allowed this to happen.  And made money doing so.

That is always the problem they don't seem to do that .. just go after the people who bought it and or miss used it. Its the officials that allow the abuse too. 

[Dumbastheycome]

Simply    send in the  bulldozers. And  sentence  anyone  eventually  convicted  to  spend  their  lifetime   re planting trees. Out  of  pocket !