Mentors Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 The Royal Forest Department has concluded that privy councillor Surayud Chulanont is not authorised to occupy the land on Khao Yai Thiang and must return it to the state within 30 days, a highly-placed source says. Police stand guard yesterday as United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship demonstrators gather in front of Government House to demand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva take legal action against privy councillor Surayud Chulanont for forest encroachment. The source yesterday said that the department would forward its findings to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti for endorsement. The department received the case from the Office of the Attorney-General on Monday. Public prosecutors earlier decided to drop criminal charges of forest encroachment against Gen Surayud but suggested the Forest Department seize the land from the privy councillor. "We reached the conclusion that Gen Surayud lacks the authorisation to occupy the land because of the fact he is not an heir of the villager, Bao Sinnok, who received it from the state," the source said. "According to the regulations, Gen Surayud has to return the land to the department within 30 days of the order being issued." Gen Surayud has previously said he was willing to return the land to the state if he received a ruling from the Royal Forest Department that he must relinquish the site. While finding Gen Surayud not guilty of land encroachment, public prosecutors in Nakhon Ratchasima said Gen Surayud violated a 1975 cabinet resolution which granted forest land in the area to landless people on the condition that it could not be transferred to outsiders. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set up a committee on illegal land possession and asked it to report back within 60 days. It appointed a subcommittee to investigate land transfers at Khao Yai Thiang in particular. The subcommittee will visit the area today to investigate 400 cases of land possession and possible encroachment. Meanwhile, a retired general who owned the Khao Yai Thiang land in the past has denied being a nominee for Gen Surayud. Gen Surarit Chantrathip said he transferred ownership of the land to Thanpuying Chitravadee, Gen Surayud's wife, as "an act of gratitude" to his former boss. The land had not been sold or purchased, he said. Gen Surarit was a staff officer attached to Gen Surayud when he was commander of the 2nd Army. "Claims made by the red shirts are wrong. I am not Gen Surayud's nominee," Gen Surarit said. Gen Surarit, a Channel 5 director and a major-general at the time, bought the land in 1997 from Noppadon Pitakwanich, who ran a construction company in Nakhon Ratchasima. Gen Surarit refused to say how much he paid for it. Mr Noppadon bought the plot from the villager, Mr Bao, in 1995. Mr Bao's family was among hundreds of families who occupied the Khao Yai Thiang forest reserve in the early 1970s and grew corn and cassava. They were each allocated 15 rai under the 1975 cabinet resolution. The resolution allows landless villagers to use the land for farming without the right to sell it to other people. Gen Surarit transferred the land to Thanpuying Chitravadee in 2002. The registered owner is now Chul Chulanont, Gen Surayud's son. "I occupied the land for five years. I was never aware that there would be problems," Gen Surarit said. "When I transferred the plot to Thanpuying Chitravadee, I thought everything would be fine." About 100 supporters of the antigovernment United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship yesterday converged on Government House to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva take legal action against Gen Surayud for trespassing. The group, led by Nakhon Ratchasima MP for the Puea Thai Party, Suporn Atthawong, said Mr Abhisit, as chairman of the Police Commission and the National Environmental Committee, had the right to order police and forestry officials to investigate Gen Surayud's illegal occupation of Khao Yai Thiang. Gen Surayud was not available for comment. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/166009/department-finds-against-surayud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 So why don't they go after the villager who illegally sold it in the first place? Does he get the land back - plus the money? Maybe gets to move into the nice new house? TIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 So why don't they go after the villager who illegally sold it in the first place? Does he get the land back - plus the money? Maybe gets to move into the nice new house? TIT Surayud was just the first step Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Go after the land office! The land title would show it could not be sold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 So why don't they go after the villager who illegally sold it in the first place? Does he get the land back - plus the money? Maybe gets to move into the nice new house? TIT Surayud was just the first step Yep, now the Red Shit leader Arseman says they are going to demonstrate outside of EVERY Privy councillor's home to "to ask for their standpoints on Gen Surayud's case". Then they are going to Sirirat Hospital to tell HM what is going on. (Yeah, right!) Just coincidentally, their Fuehrer Thaksin is in Cambodia now on his third visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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