Minister orders probe into illegal sale of state land meant for landless farmers

[misskit]

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Srion has ordered the director-general of the Forest Department to instruct all provincial governors to check whether any of the 80,000 hectares (500,000 rai) of state land distributed to landless farmers has been illegally sold to private companies or nominees of Chinese investors.


The order comes after a Senate committee, chaired by Senator Chivaparb Chivatham, launched an investigation into reports that several large plots of land in the eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Trat, originally allocated to poor farmers, have been acquired by nominees and turned into durian plantations.

These plantations reportedly include artesian wells sunk without permission and a man-made lake filled with water illegally diverted from a stream.


Minister Chalermchai said that any land distributed under the National Land Policy Committee, or the “Khor Thor Chor” scheme, and later sold to outsiders will be confiscated and converted into community forests or reforested.


The Forest Department donated 1.15 million hectares (7.2 million rai) of degraded forest to the National Land Policy Committee for distribution to landless farmers in plots of 3.2 hectares (20 rai) each, with the condition that the land cannot be sold to outsiders.


To date, about 80,000 hectares (520,000 rai) of degraded forest have been distributed to over 78,000 families, while the remaining land has yet to be allocated.


Forest Department Director-General Surachai Achalaboon stated, however, that only a small number of farmers were found to have sold their land to landlords or companies acting as nominees for Chinese businessmen.


He also affirmed that the illegal sale of land will not affect the overall land distribution scheme.

Minister orders probe into illegal sale of state land meant

[misskit]

Nationwide inspection of land allocated to farmers ordered

Probe follows reports that some state land allocated to landless farmers has been illegally sold to private companies

Dr Chalermchai Sri-on, Natural Resources and Environment minister, has ordered all provincial governors to conduct urgent inspections of 7.2 million rai (2.846 million acres) of land distributed to farmers by the National Land Policy Committee (NLPC).


Any land found to have been sold or transferred will be seized, with offending farmers losing all future rights.


The order, which was announced on Facebook, comes on the heels of an incident in Chachoengsao Province, where Forestry Department officials reclaimed a durian orchard in Tha Takiap District.


The land had originally been allocated by the NLPC for agricultural purposes, but investigations revealed a private company had taken control and developed the site.


Dr Chalermchai has instructed the Forestry Department to contact all provincial governors, who serve as chairpersons of provincial NLPCs, to thoroughly inspect allocated agricultural lands.

The minister emphasised that any breaches of NLPC conditions would result in legal action “in all cases” with “100% enforcement without exception”.


The recent directive requires provincial NLPC chairpersons to scrutinise land holdings nationwide. Under NLPC regulations, farmers may hold appropriate amounts of land not exceeding 20 rai (7.9 acres) per person.


This crackdown aims to prevent misuse of agricultural land and protect community access rights, ensuring the land benefits those genuinely in need rather than foreign investors seeking to profit from the country’s resources.

Nationwide inspection of land allocated to farmers ordered