Forget stealing the land, steal the dirt, it's easier
If rich cannot buy reform land from poor farmers, they can strip all dirt from land & sell for profit so poor farmers can never grow anything on it.
If rich cannot buy reform land from poor farmers, they can strip all dirt from land & sell for profit so poor farmers can never grow anything on it.
LAND REFORM & THEFT
Forget stealing the land, steal the dirt
3/08/2016
Piyarach Chongcharoen
In Kanchanaburi, there is a lot of so-called "land reform land" as well as in other rural provinces around the country.
Such land reform land is typically handed over to communities of poor farmers so that they can farm the land and derive a livelihood from the land, support their family and future generations of their family.
Recently, the infamous Tiger Temple made the news. It turns out that the TIger Temple was built on land reform land and essentially does not exist now since the land was taken back by the state (see here).
Land reform land is call "Sor Por Kor" land after the name of the deed (title deed) or land ownership rights and documents that the poor people who receive the land get.
Tiger temple entrance in Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi, part of 931-rai of land the Agricultural Land Reform Office will seize on Friday. (Photo by Piyarach Chongcharoen)
NEW FORM OF LAND ENCROACHMENT: STEALING THE DIRT FROM LAND
By now, everyone is familiar with the story of how land meant for poor farmers was sold for cash and ended up in the hands of rich business people.
This is one form of land encroachment.
Another less obvious form of land encroachment is to just steal the valuable soil (dirt) on the land, the very thing that makes the land valuable for farming.
CARTING AWAY SOIL FOR SALE: NEW FORM OF LAND ENCROACHMENT
Backhoe, like the one used to steal soil from land reform land, at work moving dirt (Source: Wikipedia)
Some people witnessed soil being carted away for sale from land that had been designated for land reform (special "red laterite soil").
They filed a complaint with the provincial Damrongthem Centre, that handles legal complaints and reports of wrongdoing from the public, via the hotline 1764.
The land is about two kilometres off Highway 323 (Kanchanaburi - Sai Yok) in tambon Wang Dong.
CAUGHT REMOVING SOIL, FLED THE CRIME SCENE
When agricultural land reform office (ALRO) officials, police and soldiers from the 9th Infantry Division approached the area they found many trucks carrying off soil and returning empty along the dirt road for another load.
Some of the trucks managed to escape from the state security forces.
Other drivers abandoned their vehicles and ran away.
When the state security forces arrived at the soil pit they found only three backhoes, with their engines still running, and two 10-wheel trucks abandoned at the site. The vehicles and equipment were all impounded.
There were no people there, so no one could be arrested.
20 RAI OF SOIL STRIPPED FROM LAND
About 20 rai of surface soil had been stripped from the Sor Por Kor land, leaving a large pit or hole.
The Alro office would file a complaint with Lat Ya police station.
Pol Col Nipon Chanthong, the Lat Yal police chief, said an investigation would be launched once the complaint was received.
Were the soil thieves local influential figures?
If so, will witnesses ever be willing to come forward and testify against them?
WIll they ever face justice? Or will impunity reign once again?
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1051761/sor-por-kor-land-soil-theft-busted-by-alro
สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/1051822/forget-stealing-the-land-steal-the-dirt-its-easier
