Forest buffer zone ‘won’t be touched’

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PM holds emergency meeting on land dispute

PUBLISHED : 22 Feb 2024 at 05:38

Forest buffer zone 'won't be touched'
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Agriculture Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow meet to resolve the conflict over Sor Por Kor rights for land located inside Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima on Wednesday. The Royal Thai Survey Department used data from satellite imagery to decide who legally owned the disputed lands as the Agriculture Ministry has revoked demarcation of land inside the park’s buffer zone where the conflict is located. @Thavisin X ACCOUNT

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow has pledged to preserve and not touch the forest buffer zones within national parks across the country, to reduce the problem of disputed lands between two state agencies and an ongoing row.

The minister broke the news on Wednesday after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin held a meeting among various parties including Capt Thamanat, Vinaroj Supsongsuk, secretary-general of the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro); Jatuporn Burutpat, permanent secretary of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry; Attapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP); and Lt Gen Chakorn Boonphakdee, director of the Royal Thai Survey Department (RTSD).

Capt Thamanat said the row between Alro and the DNP should now end because, in any disputed lands that are within the buffer zone, Alro will not allocate that land to farmers.

As for the 2,933 rai of land in tambon Moosi of Pak Chong district, the DNP said the land is inside the Khao Yai National Park boundary, but Alro earmarked it as agricultural land for farmers and had already issued Sor Por Kor 4-01 certificates for 42 plots. The Royal Thai Survey Department now will examine the case and conclude its mapping survey within three weeks.

He said the dispute over the land has a long history since the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram allocated Sor Por Kor certificates for farmers more than 60 years ago.

The DNP later built firebreaks which hampered residents from farming in the area.

Alro expedited the land allocation process last November before the current government was formed.

To ensure transparency in the inspection, the ministry has instructed Alro to launch a probe into the matter and has since transferred six Alro officials in Nakhon Ratchasima to the central bureau.

“If they are guilty, they will face punishment under Section 157 of the Criminal Code for malfeasance in office,” said Capt Thamanat.

Capt Thamanat said he would turn the almost 3,000 rai of land into a community forest if the RTSD’s examination confirmed the land belongs to Alro.

Mr Srettha posted on X on Wednesday that the disputed land is an urgent problem so he invited various parties to the meeting to find a solution.