NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Employment officials will help about 100 workers find new jobs after Flora Park and Faprathan Farm were found to have operated illegally on public land in Wang Nam Khieo district.
The Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) has clear evidence to prove the two parties occupying two plots of land designated for poor farmers in the district are not qualified to make use of the plots, Surachai Yutchana, chief of Nakhon Ratchasima's Alro office, said yesterday.
The 103-rai plot at Flora Park will be shut for good because the Alro found that it had been converted into a tourist attraction where visitors were charged a high entrance fee to see Western-style flowers inside, he said.
Flora Park was also found to operate a restaurant, coffee shop and car park, which are not agricultural activities, as in the case of Faprathan Farm, Mr Surachai said.
Alro will not allow the Flora Park business to continue on the land after it has been reclaimed, he said. The park may continue operating until a final order is issued to reclaim the plot, he said.
However farming activities -- including a vineyard, fruit plantation and organic vegetable farm -- on the 279-rai plot at Faprathan Farm, one of the two plots, may be allowed to continue even after it has been reclaimed by Alro, he added.
The reason is that these farming activities conform to the principle of allowing Alro land to be used for agricultural purposes, even though the real owner of the land is not qualified to use it as the person does not constitute a "poor" farmer, Mr Surachai said.
Alro has given the two owners of the plots 15 days to defend themselves against allegations they are using the plots without permission, he said.
If they fail to submit evidence to prove their rights to use the land within the given time, Alro will next reclaim it.
So far neither of the owners has contacted Alro over the matter.
As over a hundred workers at Flora Park and Faprathan Farm will lose their jobs when the two plots are reclaimed, Alro is seeking cooperation with the Labour Ministry to assist them in finding new jobs, he said.
Alro said migrant workers had also been employed.
There is about 241,000 rai of Alro land in Wang Nam Khieo, representing over a third of the district. Some 139,300 rai has been divided into 7,913 plots for agricultural use by 6,412 poor farmers, including the farm and park.
Luxury houses also indicate the unlawful occupation of Alro land at Thap Lan National Park in Wang Nam Khieo.