The results of the investigation will be handed over to Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) secretary-general Sansern Ajjutamanas on Thursday for his consideration.On August 1, Kanchanaburi ALRO official Watcharin Wakamanont and his team placed a land-reclamation notice in front of the golf club in Tambon Lat Ya.The club's executives said they would submit proof of the club's ownership of the land within 15 days of the notice being issued.They submitted documents, including Nor Sor 3 papers (the right to a land area without an accurate surveyed boundary).Watcharin yesterday said that if the probe found the land was legally occupied, the ALRO would return it to the rightful owner.But he said if it were illegally occupied, officials would demand that the occupant vacate the land within 30 day of an eviction notice being issued.He said the demolition of structures on the land would be done at the club's expenses after which the land would be ready for distribution to landless farmers.The same guidelines were used to reclaim a 1,236-rai plot in Kanchanaburi held by Piangjai Hanpanich, 92, founder of real estate firm Land and Houses.On Friday, Agriculture Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya presided over the transfer of the land to the National Land Committee as per an order by National Council for Peace and Order chief, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Chatchai insisted that no one had contacted him to lobby in favour of the golf club.He said such an attempt would be useless as this was a matter of law.He said officials would proceed with the golf club case in accordance with the law to ensure justice was served.Meanwhile, the National Reform Steering Assembly committee in charge of speeding up the reform of national forest resources is slated to discuss five measures for forest preservation this week.They include using the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency to provide satellite images as real-time records of forest resources on a monthly basis, and the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission assigning a sub-panel to proceed with legal actions against people who forge land-rights deeds.The other measures include setting the goal of increasing conserved and economic forestlands to be 40 per cent of country's total area within 10 years, and boosting forest conservation awareness.The other measures involve integrating efforts from all sectors and having the government provide incentives including tax measures to help achieve the goal, as well as improving and amending laws to accommodate forest preservation.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 10, 2016 17:15 UTC