Ministry revoked their property ownership
PUBLISHED: 6 Feb 2025 at 04: 00
Residents of the Alpine Golf Club controversy have contacted the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LC T) for legal assistance.
Wira Kaewsaitip, representing more than 10 damaged people, yesterday submitted a formal demand to the LCT, seeking legal help. The plea was received by LCT chairman Wichien Chubthaisong.
Mr. Wira claimed he was speaking for the Khlong Luang Samakkhi community residents who had purchased more than 200 plots of land for the Alpine Golf Club housing initiative in Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang city. 30 to 40 people who have built houses on the area are included in this list.
He acquired an 80-square-wah house in 2010 through a hire-purchase deal worth over three million ringgit.
Other people have invested in one- or two-storey houses on narratives ranging from 100 to 200 square woo, with injuries exceeding one million baht per family.
Residents of the housing estate have been left in a state of uncertainty as a result of the Interior Ministry’s decision to revoke land ownership, according to Mr. Wira, who is concerned about their constitutional obligations, including paying for the cost of social energy and security services.
Past pertains to government authorities, including the Department of Special Investigation, the Interior Ministry, and the Department of Lands, have yielded no distinct decision, he said.
In response, the people have turned to the LCT to find compensation for their losses, Mr. Wira explained. This could include possible civil lawsuits against state companies or private institutions.
The Alpine Golf Club property was previously donated by a lady, Noem Chamnanchartsakda, to Wat Dhammamikaramvoraviharn in Prachuap Khiri Khan in 1971. The Mahamongkut Ratchawittayalai Foundation, which was appointed the administrator of her house after her passing, sold the land to Alpine Real Estate and the Alpine Golf and Sports Club, in which Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was a stockholder.
Previous Pheu Thai head Yongyuth Wichaidit abused his position in 2002 by allowing the purchase of religious property for the Alpine Golf Club while serving as the Interior Ministry’s acting permanent minister. In 2017, the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct cases was upheld. The lower court’s two-year jail sentence was upheld by the Appeal Court in 2019.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission, which conducted the price, determined that Yongyuth was responsible for overturning a Land Department purchase that had revoked Alpine Real Estate’s sale of the 732-rai religious property. The area was designated for religious use, which eventually led land officials to cancel the sale, which the Council of State later determined to be illegal.
Mr. Wira stated yesterday that people had used property activities issued by the DoL to legitimately and in good faith purchase their homes and land. But, the legal dispute has prevented them from taking out mortgages or selling their homes, which has caused significant pain, especially for those who are also repaid with bank loans. He claimed that their concerns weren’t motivated by politics.
The LCT will form a working group to offer legal assistance, according to Mr. Wichien.
He outlined three possible ways to address the issue, including leasing it to the present occupants from Wat Thammikaram, the land’s unique owner, with the help of religious authorities.