UTTARADIT - Residents of two communities say land reform authorities plan to distribute land at Bueng Kalo marsh to wealthy people and relatives of politicians.
Paithoon Prommoi, kaman of tambon Khung Tapao in Muang district, said on Thursday many people of tambon Khung Tapao and tambon Pasao had long used the 7,500 rai that comprises Bueng Kalo marsh for crops and raising livestock.
However, the land had then been encroached upon by other residents of the two communities and by outsiders. Among them were local businessmen and relatives of local politicians, the tambon chief said.
Seven encroachers had recently petitioned the Administrative Court, seeking a court order that the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) should allocate the encroached land around the marsh to them and other trespassers, Mr Paithoon said.
The court ruled in their favour, ordering Alro to allocate the land to the encroachers and to landless people. The number of recipients of the land had increased from 43 to 71 people after the court's ruling.
If the land was allocated this way, local residents would not be allowed to make use of the marsh, he said.
"Not only local residents but also local leaders disagree with the planned allocation of the land at Bueng Kalo marsh to those encroachers. We will submit a letter to the Alro committee tasked with allocating land.
"We will ask Alro to survey Bueng Kalo, clearly define the boundary of the marsh and register those who encroached on the land before the court gave its ruling.
"We want the committee to examine the qualifications of recipients for reform land. Wealthy people and relatives of politicians do not deserve to get the land,'' the tambon chief said.
Mr Paithoon and the kanman of tambon Pasao, Somsak Hompian, called a a meeting of members of the two local bodies on Thursday to discuss a protest aganst the allocation of Bueng Kalo land to the encroachers.