Land probe to cover all Thailand – Thaksin

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today announced that the land investigation currently underway in Phuket will be widened to cover the entire country. Speaking to The Nation newspaper, he said, “Many SorPorKor titles were given to ‘important people’ – this was not the intent of the SorPorKor scheme. Legal cases brought against these people were weak, which is why the government lost most of the suits. We must check again why this happened. “I have already told the investigating team [under Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh] not to act out of spite, and to do everything correctly. “I have also ordered them to check the whole country, not only Phuket, because people who are close to politicians often try to benefit at the expense of the farmers. We will repossess land that has been encroached upon by such people. We would like to see real farmers have land to make a living.” If people want to buy land they should use it, he said, not simply keep it for the next generation. “Anyone who has land and does not use it will be taxed. And if they cannot pay the tax, the land will be seized,” he added. “Anyone who knows about encroachment should report it to the Prime Minister’s Office. We will follow this up as part of the drive against influential people.”