48 SorPorKor papers to be rescinded

BANGKOK, The Nation: Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Newin Chidchob, said yesterday that he is preparing papers recommending the eviction of occupiers from 48 plots of SorPorKor land in Phuket, totaling some 300 rai. The papers will be presented next week to the Land Commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. K. Newin told The Nation that the commission investigating SorPorKor abuses, which he chairs, had found 48 cases of abuse, such as building resorts, setting up boat piers and allowing other people to do business on the land. He said that he had already ordered Adisak Srisappakij, Permanent Secretary of the Agriculture Land Reform Department (ALRD), to draw up a document that would allow the SorPorKor Commission to rescind the rights of holders of SorPorKor occupation papers. This, he said, would be faster than using the existing system of referring the case back to provincial land reform offices (PLROs) for cancellation of the papers. K Newin expressed his unhappiness that K. Adisak had not yet issued an order instructing all provincial Agriculture Land Reform Offices (ALROs) to check tax records to identify major SorPorKor occupiers, who would then be required to present themselves at the ALROs within 30 days. “I don’t understand why K. Adisak still hasn’t started on this – he doesn’t have to wait for a written order from me,” K Newin said. “I’ll give him until the end of next week and, if he doesn’t, then I’ll do it myself.”