Land acquisitions of the dairy product giant, Farm Chokchai Group, are being probed by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which suspects it encroached on public areas and blocked an entrance to a village in Nakhon Ratchasima.
A team of DSI officials has been sent to check on the disputed areas after residents of Ban Hin Phloeng Moo 1 in Pak Chong district accused the company of illegally obtaining a land deed and building fences that block them from getting to their village, deputy DSI spokesman Woranan Silam said yesterday.
The DSI needs to verify the villagers' claim and determine whether the land acquisition is causing a major impact before deciding whether to treat the problem as a special case, which would enable the agency to deal with it directly, he said.
But in the future, such a decision-making process will not be needed because the cabinet has agreed to add issues about land, forests and wild animals to a list of special cases, Pol Col Woranan said.
Farm Chokchai Group is well known for running a dairy farm in Pak Chong district. In recent years, it has also branched out into making animal feed, running restaurants and providing accommodation to people who want to experience farming lifestyles.
However, the company was dragged into trouble when the Nakhon Ratchasima governor earlier revoked one of its land title deeds.
The DSI is aware of this revocation but it was a decision made by local authorities, not the DSI, Pol Col Woranan said.