Buri Ram people vow to fight order to reclaim their land at Khao Kradong

Many Buri Ram residents and business operators rallied on Thursday, vowing to resist the Interior Ministry’s order to reclaim their land at Khao Kradong. They claimed to have lawfully held the land with land deeds.

The rally, held at the Chang International Circuit, was led by Tanaisiri Chanwittayarom, managing director of Chang International Circuit; Pramoochai Nopsuwanwong, an officer of the Buri Ram United Football Association; and Chanin Kaenhiran, a lawyer representing the affected people.

Representatives of local residents and businesses, who hold land deeds for approximately 5,000 rai, participated in the rally. The Interior Ministry has ordered this land to be returned to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

On August 1, Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Deputy Interior Minister Dej-is Khaothong, who oversees the Department of Lands, announced that the 5,083 rai (2,003.47 acres) of land in the Khao Kradong area rightfully belongs to SRT and must be returned to the state.

The ministers also announced that the operation to reclaim the land would begin on August 2, after long delays.

The demonstrators claimed that the Supreme Court ruling did not apply to them, as their plots were not part of the SRT’s lawsuit against the Land Department. They also argued that the land could not be regarded as belonging to SRT since no royal decree had been issued to define the boundaries of the Khao Kradong land for SRT ownership.

The protesters insisted that the Supreme Court ruling should only apply to the plots involved in the lawsuit, not the entire 5,000 rai of land as ordered by the Interior Ministry.

Some villagers displayed their old land deeds, which were visibly worn, to prove that they had lawfully held the land for years. They vowed to fight for their rightful ownership of the land.