The Royal Thai Survey Department (RTSD) has proposed that Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang give disputed land to Khao Yai National Park, which it had designated for land reform, a source has said.
The disputed land was selected by the RTSD's One Map system to be used as part of land reforms for poor farmers. But the national park said the land belonged to it as per a royal decree published in the Royal Gazette in 1962.
Mr Sutin, in his capacity as the One Map committee chairman, earlier called for a meeting with the RTSD to find a resolution to the dispute and review the map system.
The source said that during Friday's meeting, the RTSD said the 1962 decree should be observed, and the disputed land should be returned to the national park.
The meeting was held in response to the discovery that almost 3,000 rai of land in tambon Moosi, in Pak Chong district, inside Khao Yai National Park, had been earmarked by the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) as agricultural land for the poor, and that land title deeds for 42 plots were already granted.
To prevent disagreements regarding land ownership nationwide, the One Map system with a ratio scale of 1:4,000 was created by RTSD to be used as a reference. The map, however, concluded that the disputed land was outside the national park and in a so-called buffer zone, which National Park Office director Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn opposed.
Mr Sutin said that he and the committee would further look at whether the RTSD map was defective, adding that the committee members include the secretary-general of the Anti Money Laundering Office, which should ensure its transparency.
Athapol Charoenshunsa, director-general of the Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said the disputed land is located within the boundary clearly marked in accordance with the National Park Act 2019.
According to Mr Athapol, the details regarding the boundary in the decree don't match the map recently developed by the RTSD.
Mr Chaiwat, the National Park Office director, told reporters that there will be a call from an "adult figure" to settle the matter today. "If the disputed lands are given back to the DNP, the problem will be settled," he said, adding that he would keep fighting if they insist on adhering to the RTSD survey.