PUBLISHED : 17 Feb 2024 at 04:00
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation is upset by the Agricultural Land Reform Office’s (Alro) intention to grant land rights within Khao Yai National Park to farmers, arguing against the use of fertile forestry zones for agriculture.
Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, director of the National Parks Office, voiced strong concerns regarding a discovery that almost 3,000 rai of land inside the world heritage site of Khao Yai National Park has been marked as land to be granted to farmers under the Sor Por Kor (agricultural land title deed) policy.
He added that over 500 rai of planted forests under the Department of Royal Forest’s responsibility have also been included in Alro’s plan for Sor Por Kor 4-01 (agricultural land for the poor) rights. The planted forest initiation was implemented as part of the government’s strategy to add more green areas.
“We have found that Alro has prepared to announce Sor Por Kor land rights in many protected areas in the fertile forest, especially national parks in northern Thailand.
“This is our prime concern. We have lost too much already. We don’t want the case of Tab Lan National Park to happen again — when 200,000 rai was turned into Sor Por Kor land,” Mr Chaiwat said.
The national parks department was informed by the local village chief that almost 3,000 rai of land inside Khao Yai National Park was claimed in ownership by the land reform office, leading to the department’s investigation and confirmation of its right over the land.
Some parts of the land have already been turned into mango farms. Forest officials are filing legal action against five farm workers for forest encroachment.
According to Alro’s Mapping and Land Text Management Bureau, 2,933 rai of land inside Khao Yai National Park is marked for Sor Por Kor land preparation. Some 972 rai of that land has already been issued Sor Por Kor 4-01 rights to five people who allegedly are neither farmers, nor poor, Mr Chaiwat said.
The village chief added that Alro’s Sor Por Kor announcement does not specify the sizes and locations of land provided to those people. He also insisted the area is fertile forest and no agricultural activity inside it is seen.
The forest department already removed Alro’s boundary markers, cleared the mango trees and took the Sor Por Kor land signage out of the area. It also filed a complaint against Alro’s offices, including the provincial Alro chief, for legal misconduct.
“Since the policy of the Sor Por Kor land for sale was approved, we have been afraid that similar cases will occur. Many forest areas have now become a main target for reallocation into Sor Por Kor lands,” Mr Chaiwat said.
He urged civil society to monitor the issue closely, adding that the Office of the National Land Policy Board seems to have been granted absolute power. Mr Chaiwat questioned Alro’s transparency.
He said the value of the plots of land inside Khao Yai National Park is around 30 million per rai. Then, “who will get the benefits from it and who is the real owner of the land?” he said.