Nakhon ratchasima: "Rome" fights for justice in Thap Lan, pointing out that 23 people were wrongly arrested and require immediate compensation. The chairman of the House Committee on Legal Affairs held a press conference regarding the land overlap issue within the Thap Lan National Park.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Rangsiman Rome, Chairman of the Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights, and Mr. Lau Fang Bandittheodsakul, Spokesperson of the Committee, along with representatives from the Thap Lan 43 group and 43 affected residents, held a press conference regarding the land overlap issue within the Thap Lan National Park. Residents in Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, and parts of Sa Kaeo provinces have requested justice regarding the declaration of the Thap Lan National Park boundaries in 1981. This declaration resulted in overlapping areas with residential and agricultural land previously inhabited by villagers before the park's establishment, causing hardship and continuous negative impacts on the local population for a long time.
Mr. Lau Fang Bandiththodsakul stated that there are two main problems. Firstly, the National Park Committee's resolution on the revocation process did not follow the initial approach. Previously, efforts were made to resolve the issue of overlapping boundaries between Thap Lan National Park and private land through the creation of a One Map system. This was based on two resolutions: firstly, a resolution from the National Land Policy Committee in 2023 confirming the revocation of the overlapping areas with villagers' land; and secondly, a Cabinet resolution mandating the revocation of the villagers' land in accordance with the National Land Policy Committee's resolution. These two resolutions resulted in the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation having to amend the law. Amending the law and the attached map of the national park boundaries that overlapped with villagers' land required a Royal Decree, which needed a resolution from the National Park Committee. However, the National Park Committee's resolution contradicted the National Land Policy Committee's, leading to the problem. Resolving this requires policy-level decision-making. Therefore, the committee invited the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, as chairman of the National Land Policy Committee, along with members of the National Land Policy Committee, to a meeting to discuss and resolve the issue. Secondly, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation admitted to wrongly prosecuting 23 individuals and will provide compensation. However, it remains unclear what the compensation will be, as this also requires a policy decision. Nevertheless, since those who will make the policy decisions were not present at today's meeting, the committee was unable to proceed with this matter.
Mr. Rangsiman Rome further stated that while land issues may sound complex, they involve lives, and these people have long awaited justice. Concluding that villagers have encroached on national park land, forest land, national resources, or state resources is premature. In reality, there are lives and people involved. Furthermore, the government has promoted tourism and public relations through various activities, including the use of public funds to define boundaries in 2000. Many villagers cooperated, leaving the areas that became national park boundaries. However, today, despite a Cabinet resolution, the National Park Committee's decision has overridden the Cabinet's. Therefore, resolving this issue requires policy discussions. While we understand each other's positions and legal aspects, the key is to address the overlapping declarations of national park land with villagers' land. Unfortunately, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment did not attend the meeting. In essence, we are revisiting the policy implemented in 2000 to clearly define boundaries, believing this to be the true solution. This would allow villagers to have land for cultivation while preserving the forests and national parks for their continued integrity. This will be considered a legacy for future generations. However, the committee plans to meet with the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment at the ministry to further discuss this matter.