MP Thitikan this week in Parliament urged the government to comply with a Cabinet resolution passed nearly 40 years ago to sell back more than 700 rai of Crown Property land in Bang Tao.
His questions were directed at Deputy Finance Minister Chulphan Amornvivat.
“The land, registered as Plot PhorKor 263, was forcibly purchased from over 1,000 households in 1920 for mining concessions by a private company,” MP Thitikan explained.
“While the concession expired in 1977, the land was never returned to its original owners, despite Cabinet resolutions in 1986 and 2000 ordering that it be sold back to the local residents under agreed terms,” he continued.
“This is a struggle that has lasted more than 40 years. The people were told the land would be returned, but they are still waiting. We want the government to act on its own resolutions and deliver justice,” he said.
“Locals explained they have been unable to obtain house registration, electricity, water connections or building permits due to the unresolved ownership status,” he added.
“This case has been left unresolved for too long,” MP Thitikan said. “The Cabinet in 1986 and again in 2000 already resolved that the land must be sold back to the original landholders or their heirs. Yet the process has stalled for decades. People have suffered without rights, without basic services, and with no legal certainty.”
He further warned that current land values in Cherng Talay, estimated at around B50 million per rai, would make it impossible for local residents to buy back their land if the state insists on market prices.
“If the government applies today’s market value, no one will be able to afford it,” MP Thitikan said. “This must be based on the original Cabinet resolutions, ensuring fairness and restoring the rights of local people, not punishing them with prices they cannot pay.”
“After I presented the issue, Deputy Finance Minister Chulphan confirmed that the Treasury Department has drafted legislation to enable the transfer, and the Council of State is currently reviewing it. Mr Chulphan pledged the Cabinet would uphold the principle of affordability,” MP Thitikan explained.
According to MP Thitikan, successive Cabinets have twice resolved to sell the land back – first on Nov 11, 1986, and again on May 2, 2000 – with clear guidelines dividing landholders into three groups:
Group 1: Original landholders or heirs – eligible to repurchase at the state’s compulsory purchase price plus 7.5% interest from 1977.
Group 2: Long-term occupiers of more than 30 years – eligible to repurchase at the Land Department’s 1977 appraisal value plus 7.5% interest.
Group 3: Occupiers of less than 30 years – only entitled to leasehold rights under Finance Ministry regulations.
“The state must find a balance,” he said. “We will respect the Cabinet resolution to set a price acceptable to the people, while ensuring the state is not harmed.”
Meanwhile, the Phuket Treasury Office has promised to submit the necessary documents by October to allow the Treasury Department to expedite the enactment of the law before the current House term ends.
During the parliamentary session, Deputy Finance Minister Chulphan Amornvivat said, “We will respect the Cabinet’s principle to set a price that is acceptable to the people, while ensuring the state is not harmed. Other fees under the Land Code may be adjusted to ease the burden.”
Meanwhile, MP Thitikan called for immediate interim measures. “While waiting for the law, local residents should at least be able to register houses and connect utilities. This issue has been ignored for far too long. The people of Bang Tao deserve their rights restored now.”