PHUKET: The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) on Friday signed an agreement with local administrations and civic groups to allocate coastal mangrove forest areas to landless sea gypsies.
Three sea gypsy communities — in Phuket, Ranong and Krabi — signed a memorandum of understanding with the Community Organisations Development Institute (Codi), the Chumchonthai Foundation and the People's Movement for a Just Society (P-move).
The deal will result in 15 rai of mangrove forest land being allocated to 484 villages in three coastal sea gypsy communities: the Sa Thon Pho in Phuket, Koh Lao in Ranong and Toh Baling in Krabi.
However, the rights to stay are not transferable and villagers have pledged to protect the coastal environment and marine resources.
DMCR director-general Sopon Thongdee said the government has had a firm policy since 2016 to allocate coastal land to landless fishery communities and sea gypsies.
However, this is the first time that it had allocated specific plots of mangrove forest land — the DMCR had been preserving the ecologically sensitive mangrove forests for conservation purposes.
CODI director Somchat Parasuwan said his institute would help the three communities in financing the building of public utilities and ecological-friendly houses in permitted zones.
Somporn Jaiharn, a representative of P-Move, applauded the government for mediating and thereby helping to address long-standing land disputes with the sea gypsies.
The DMCR has allocated 18,000 rai of land for farmers to use for agricultural purposes, said Mr Sopon.
Between 2016 and 2017, it had issued land use documents for 14,376 rai of land to be farmed so that more than 3,200 people could make a living.
In addition, the department has allocated 10,789 rai of land for housing purposes, Mr Sopon said.
Between 2016 and 2017 alone, the DMCR issued 63 land use documents covering 548 rai of land benefiting 7,180 people residing in 51 communities.
Currently, the DMCR is expediting the distribution of the remaining land for housing purposes and by the end of the year at least 60,000 people in 494 communities are expected to benefit from it.
Varawut Silpa-arch, the Natural Resources and Environment minisyter, said the government had stepped up efforts to solve land-related problems to alleviate the plight of poor landless villagers around the country.
He said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chairs the National Land Policy Committee, had instructed officials to distribute land for agricultural and housing purposes to those most in need.
However, the government must also strike a balance between land usage and conservation of the natural environment to ensure sustainability, Mr Varawut said.