Thailand : LAND SCANDALS

[Mid]

Pheu Thai promises to reveal big names
July 8, 2010



Suwit, officials 'will face malfeasance charges if they fail to do anything'

Opposition Pheu Thai Party yesterday threatened to file an official complaint against Natural Resources Minister Suwit Khunkitti and forestry officials if they failed to investigate the questionable acquisition of Surat Thani plots allegedly owned by two key Democrat Party figures.

The party will file a malfeasance charge with the National Anti-Corruption Commission against Suwit along with all ministry and forestry officials found involved in the land acquisition process, Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday, adding that the deadline for the job was August 7.

He said the Khao Phaeng "scandal" was a land-grab and much larger than the Sor Por Kor land scandal that unseated the Democrat-led government under Chuan Leekpai many years ago. He added that it was even larger than the Khao Yai Thiang scandal, which prompted former prime minister Surayud Chulanont to return the plot to the state last year.

"The Sor Por Kor land affair covered a hill on Phuket island, the Khao Yai Thiang land scandal involved just one plot, but the Khao Phaeng scandal involves seven mountains in four tambons," the spokesman said. He added that he now knew the names of those people who had acquired the land in joint deals with Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban and Democrat Party member Niphon Promphan.

"The names will create a bang when they are released. These people are politicians, influential figures and well-known businesspeople. But I will not tell you now," he said.

When Promphong went to the ministry to hand over the documents, he left joking that maybe he should file a missing-persons report about Suwit because he was missing. This was in reaction to Suwit declining to meet him and having him leave the papers with other ministry officials.

Referring to the land bought by Niphon, part of the area handed over to the state by the Huntrakul family, Promphong said Suwit was surprisingly quiet because the 4,870 rai had been given to the ministry that he was in charge of as member of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party.

Responding to questions over whether a plot owned by former TRT executive Sudarat Keyuraphan on Samui island would also be scrutinised, Prompong said Sudarat had bought the 12 rai legally and would produce purchase and ownership documents if required.

"She would not have survived if she had got the land illegally, because [Democrat] Deputy Interior Minister Thavorn Senniam wouldn't let her live," Prompong said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation said it was not delaying the investigation and had taken action on two cases: handing initial probe results over to the police to look into the alleged illegal acquisition of land and assigning a DSI division to look into joint ownership disputes.

DSI director-general Tharit Phengdit was speaking yesterday to a special House committee vetting the 2011 budget bill, saying that neither the DSI nor Justice Ministry were stalling the investigation. Both agencies are also jointly investigating questionable acquisition of land in other provinces including Phang Nga, Phuket, in addition to the Khao Phaeng case.

nationmultimedia.com

[Gayhole]

Unbelievable abuse , rape , and pillage of the national assets by the amart proxy government.
But no slice for their ether cheerleaders.
Thing is because they are all corrupt at all levels, there is nobody to take them to task.
Just react with impunity.

[sabang]

I'm sure deputy PM Suthep will reassure us that everything is above board.

[Butterfly]

I am sure the reds would have acted differently if they were still in the government

[taxexile]

thai pots have been calling thai kettles black for as long as coconuts have been falling off trees, every now and again one will be be hauled before the judge and shamed..... and then life goes on as normal again.

[pangsida]

If they are sure of the facts why not release the names? Why does everything have to be like a soap opera in Thai politics? Its like Emmerdale Farm with the Dingles running as the opposition.

[kmart]

thai pots have been calling thai kettles black for as long as coconuts have been falling off trees, every now and again one will be be hauled before the judge and shamed..... and then life goes on as normal again.

They're all crooks and provincial mafiosi, with their fingers in every illicit pie going. They just "hint" at abuses and criminality to up the ante in the farce of everyday politics in Thailand.
No one is ever brought to book, because they're all equally culpable.

[Nawty]

Huntrakul family,

Who are they ?

4800 rai is shit load of land in one pice on a small island.

[lom]

Huntrakul family,

Who are they ?

4800 rai is shit load of land in one pice on a small island.

It is not in one piece only, he had many hundred plots.
Arkorn Huntrakul was a very rich man who bought up mainly forest and hillside land on Samui in order to keep it away from exploitation.
He was also given land by other Samuians who didn't want their greedy families to inherit it, Samuians who had the same environmental ideas as him.
The land was at his death given to the state to be used for the benefit of Samui and the Samui citizens and has since been looted out of by local people to some extent and by government servants to a higher extent.
Shirt colour - no difference, the biggest looting actually took place under Thaksins government.

[Nawty]

Pretty stupid giving it to the government...

[billy the kid]

impunity rules ok .