Property News

NEWS ALERTS

Click to subscribe

Existing subscribers can unsubscribe here

RSS FEEDS

Details of the Phuket parkland encroachment are highlighted yesterday

Photo by phuketwan.com

Click a thumbnail to view more photographs

Army's Isoc Offers Help With Phuket Sirinath Park Encroachment Probe

By Prasit Tarnsirisin

Thursday, January 29, 2015

PHUKET: A senior Army officer is to raise the Sirinath National Park encroachment case with the Prime Minister, a meeting on Phuket heard yesterday.

Hundreds of rai of public land valued at 30 billion baht are allegedly in private hands because of false chanote land titles, with a lengthy investigation still proceeding.

The Sirinath National Park Director, Kittipat Tammasiban, yesterday called on the Army's Internal Security Operations Command for help at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City.

''The biggest problem we have is accessing the history of these chanote titles,'' he said. ''The Land Titles Department refuses to grant us access to the historic documents.''

Isoc Region 8 Commander Major General Warong Kotdamrong said that he was prepared to assist where he could and would make sure the issue was raised with the Prime Minister.

He added that Isoc was willing to send staff to help with the investigation because he believed government officials had an involvement in transferring the parkland into private hands.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

How can a government organization refuse to give documents to another govt organization? This is unbelievable! Is there no law in this country.

Posted by Anonymous on January 29, 2015 08:02

It would be interesting to hear from the Land office officials why they refuse to hand over such documents.

Posted by Herbert on January 29, 2015 09:34

Editor Comment:

Surely there couldn't be anything to hide?

Why would a department refuse to help another department?

Aren't they both meant to be on the same team?

Posted by Tbs on January 29, 2015 11:03

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.. The wetland along Layan Soi 2 has just been completely filled in and many displaced egrets are now on my property. Next rainy season, Soi 2 and the junction of route 4018 will be impassable.

Posted by The News Mare on January 29, 2015 11:10

Tbs, as ISOC just reported, "a fee" for just one set of papers was 700M THB.

You will not get a good carrier neither of corrupted officer nor of policeman with such naivety.

Posted by Sue on January 29, 2015 16:50

Do the thai authorities in charge realize that there are here 2 ways of thinking. Nr 1,.... childish competence behavior. 2: Thai Government departments corruption. Which of the 2? What is NCPO now doing to handle this?

Posted by Kurt on January 29, 2015 17:28

News Mare are you suggesting that this is illegal enroachment? If so, why not complain now to Kittipat Tammasiban before it is too late...

Posted by Anonymous on January 29, 2015 17:34

Anonymous, last time I tried to make a complaint, a person in the back of the room took my picture- trying to pretend she wasn't and my passport and address were passed around for everyone to look at. As a foreigner, the perception is I have no right to complain- I can "leave if I don't like it," is the phrase.

Posted by The News Mare on January 30, 2015 11:32

Why do they not use Martial Law to speed up the investigation and to prosecute all the land-grabbers?

Posted by Whistle-Blower on January 30, 2015 13:12

Editor Comment:

The cases have to be proven first and the land titles are the key to that.

I don't believe you really need the Land Office though.
1) The Park is measured out to whatever it should be.
2) if that part of the park is missing or occupied then it must be illegal, since it is illegal to sell national park.
What is all the fuss?

Posted by Tbs on February 2, 2015 00:16

Editor Comment:

(Sigh). The difficulty is in establishing when the crimes occurred and which state employees played a part. The titles have in some cases changed hands and could now be held by people who are totally innocent and had no knowledge of the illegal dealing. No point in accusing the innocent.