Songkhla community faces steep rent hike from temple land

Residents of the community surrounding Wat Khuan Mit in Songkhla raised concerns as the temple, which owns the land they reside on, dramatically increased the rent by twelvefold. The escalation in rental fees has led to severe hardship for the locals, many of whom have lived there since their ancestors’ time.

Negotiations with the temple’s caretakers have not yielded any resolution, prompting the community to plan a visit to the provincial hall in Songkhla for assistance.

A community representative, Meechai, stated that originally, the temple charged a yearly rent of 3 baht per square wah (a Thai unit of area). However, the temple intends to increase this to 3 baht per square wah per month, effectively multiplying the rent by 12.

For residents with small homes, this means an annual rent of just over 200 baht would surge to 3,000 baht. Similarly, for local shops, the proposed rate is an increase of 6 baht per square wah per month, which has been deemed excessive by the affected parties.

The residents have attempted to negotiate with the temple’s acting abbot and the representatives from the Songkhla Office of Buddhism, to no avail. The temple’s stance is that if the inhabitants cannot agree to the new rates, they should vacate the premises.

The community views this as unfair, insisting on the original rates or at least a fair and manageable increase. The majority of the land renters are elderly and have been living on the temple’s land for generations, some for 30 to 50 years.

With over 120 households affected, the community is seeking reasonable negotiation to reduce the new rental rates to an affordable level. They wish for the Songkhla provincial authorities to mediate and help resolve the issue. The negotiations are intended to take place this week, and the community hopes for a just solution to their predicament.

The situation underscores the tensions that can arise when historical and cultural ties to land clash with contemporary financial demands. The residents’ planned appeal to the provincial hall reflects their desperation and determination to seek a fair and sustainable resolution to this pressing issue, reported KhaoSod.