Public and private land are severed by a plan to reduce secured property.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation ( DNP ) is holding ongoing public hearings about a proposal to declare 265, 286 rai of land in Thap Lan National Park as no longer being protected forest land, evoking this area of the park’s landscape as a potential agricultural center.
While a number of the villagers, who began occupying portions of the area before the Thap Lan National Park barrier was established, help the strategy, which was approved by the government on March 14 last year, in favor of the separation of the 265, 286 ray.
The Office of the National Land Policy Board ( ONLPB) put the plan together with other land-mapping tools used by several state agencies, creating One Map, based on changes to the boundary ranges of state property narratives. In 2000, the novel system was implemented.
The DNP’s trials began on June 28 and may continue until Friday. The results from these communities, conducted both onshore and website, may be compiled and submitted to the president’s council on national parks for thought, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan.
Story of problems
Despite the fact that these villagers have been fully allowed to live in about 58, 000 ray of the resort’s designated forest land, DNP key Attapol Charoenshunsa claimed that the land disputes between villagers who occupy Thap Lan forest land and park authorities have raged on for more than 40 years.
According to Pol Gen Phatcharavat, the national parks committee is expected to reach a decision on the subject in about a month, adding that the public’s mind may remain taken into account. He serves even as chairman of the committee.
Of the 265, 286 ray, around 58, 000 ray has been occupied by a number of people since before it was declared Thap Lan National Park. They will generally benefit from the anticipated isolation, he said.
The national area today covers 1.3 million ray of forest area in Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri and Sa Kaeo regions.
Those who had recently purchased the land from some of these villagers wo n’t be able to use it and face legal action for encroachment of forest land, according to Pol Gen Phatcharavat.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, however, insisted last year’s government decision, now seen as a precursor to the cultural divisions sown by the plan to exclude the forest land from Thap Lan, will not be scrapped at this point pending further research.
He also made a reassurance to those opposed to the plan because they fear that wealthy plot owners will use the forest land for other purposes. According to Mr. Srettha, the law will be strictly enforced to ensure that only those who are qualified have the right to use the land.
The DNP’s website hearing is scheduled to end on Friday, just as the public hearings ended last Friday. According to Mr. Attapol, roughly 100 000 people will take part in total. I’m pleased to see that Thai citizens are so enthusiastic about this subject. In the end, he said,” I think what is right and proper will be chosen.”
Opposing voices
The ONLPB made an illegitimate proposal to convert these plots of forest land in Thap Lan into land for agricultural purposes, according to Panudet Kerdmali, the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation chairman.
There is no need to turn the 265, 286 rai into farming land for poor landless people, he said.
He cited Thap Lan’s aerial images, which showed that no portion of that land is being deforested, which might have justified repurposing it in this way.
According to Mr. Panudet, any actions that result in the nation’s forest land growing shrinking could be deemed a violation of Section 65 of the constitution and in violation of the government’s 20-year national strategic plan.
The plan to separate the 265, 286 rai of land from the park was supported by the majority of the 343 villagers who had attended the public hearing in Thap Lan last Thursday.