Relocated villagers seek NCPO's help

Relocated villagers seek NCPO's help

Community was moved to make way for Sirikit Dam

UTTARADIT – About 250 relocated villagers in tambon Tha Pla of Tha Pla district have joined in a Buddhist ceremony they hope will inspire Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to look into their long-standing problem with title deeds to land they were moved to.

The villagers say they sacrificed their land 46 years ago so the government could build the Sirikit Dam  to generate hydro-electricity to supply the country's needs. 

More than 2,000 households from 24 villages in four tambons were relocated to government land in the self-established Lam Nam Nan estate, according to Kiattiphan Rangsisakhon, president of Tha Pla Tambon Administration Organisation.

The relocation had brought them only hardship. They were allocated elevated land and have since suffered  from a lack of household water and no natural water source for farming.  

He said some of the allocated land was in a national forest, or already occupied by people living in the area. Some of them had been forced to encroach on the forest for survival. 

“The allocated land on the Saddle-Tha Pla road is now state property. But most important is they have not yet received land title deeds, despite having been required to make the sacrifice. It is painful for them," Mr Kiattiphan said.

The villagers performed their ceremony at a 120-year-old banyan tree, praying that the holy spirit help them get land title deeds and fair treatment in land allocation.

They hope the National Council for Peace and Order will look at the issue and help solve their problem.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT