POLITICS

The opposition Democrat Party has called on the Interior Ministry to return the Alpine golf course land in Pathum Thani province to a temple, to fulfil the wish of the original owner who had donated it as monastic property.

Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombat, who is of a member of the party's legal team, said the National Anti-Corruption Commission has already ruled that the Alpine golf course and housing estate must be returned as monastic property in accordance with the intention of the late Nuem Chamnanchartsakda.

The woman donated the land to Wat Thammikaram temple in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in 1971.

Mr Nipit also urged the permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry to revoke the past order of Yongyuth Wichaidit, who as former deputy permanent secretary approved the sale of the land which was later developed into a golf course and a housing estate.

Legally, monastic land cannot be sold or transferred.

The Democrat recommended the government propose a law to protect the people who had innocently bought residences in the Alpine housing estate in Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani and that only the golf course be returned as monastic land.

He also called for legal action against the developers of the golf course and the housing estate who had exploited the monastic land for their own gain even though they knew the former owner had donated the land to the temple.

Meanwhile, Democrat list MP Ong-art Klampaibul urged Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont to quickly forward a complaint about Mr Yongyuth from the Democrat Party to the Constitution Court.

The opposition party has asked the court to verify if Mr Yongyuth was qualified to be an MP after his actions in the Alpine case.

Mr Ong-art said Mr Somsak appeared to be stalling the complaint from going to the court, claiming Mr Yongyuth had already resigned as an MP.

The Democrat said that under Section 91 of the constitution, the parliament president was duty-bound to check the complaint and forward it to the Constitution Court. Mr Yongyuth resigned as the interior minister and as deputy prime minister late last month, and as the leader and an MP of the ruling Pheu Thai Party last week.

As a deputy permanent secretary of the interior ministry, he approved the sale of 924-rai of land belonging to Wat Thammikaram to Alpine Real Estate Co and Alpine Golf & Sports Club Co in 1990. The companies belonged to the family of veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong, who was at the time a deputy interior minister overseeing the Land Department.