Court orders Anchalee’s husband to quit land

PHUKET: The Phuket Appeal Court yesterday overturned a judgement of the Provincial Court and ordered Tossaporn Thepabutr to quit 98 rai of land in the Nakkerd Hills in Karon.

K. Tossaporn is the husband of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr.

The successful appeal was made by the Provincial Land Reform Office (PLRO), which argued that K. Tossaporn had no right to the land because it had been included in the SorPorKor land reform program, which is aimed at providing poor people with farmland.

The court heard that K. Tossaporn is not a farmer but has shares in many companies and has personal wealth estimated to total more than 55 million baht.

K. Tossaporn countered that the land had been in his family for generations, certainly since long before the SorPorKor land reform program was launched.

The Appeal Court disagreed, and ordered K. Tossaporn and his associates to vacate the land.

The chief of the PLRO, Teerawut Tawornpatanavong, said K. Tossaporn had the right to take his case to the Supreme Court to try to get the Appeal Court decision reversed. He has 30 days in which to lodge such an appeal.

K. Teerawut added that this was the second case in which the Appeal Court had overturned the judgment of the Provincial Court and ruled in favour of the PLRO.

The first judgement was against Narong Nopdara. On July 23 the Appeal Court ordered him off 21 rai of land, also in the Nakkerd Hills. (See also thethaiger.com/news/index.asp?Id=3566 )

The Appeal Court is to consider nine further appeals by the PRLO against Provincial Court judgements on land ownership.

Said K. Teerawut, “The next will take place on September 7, when the Appeal Court will judge on land currently in the hands of prominent developer Boonkeng Srisansuchart.”