Unregistered rubber farmers demand title deeds, land in disputed forest

Residents from eight villages, gathering at Namphud School, said they were claiming 20,000 rai – a fifth of Tambon Namphud’s 100,000 rai community area covered by land-rights documents.
They insisted they had lived on the land long before the state said it was forest in Khao Pu Khao Ya National Park and a forest reserve.
Tambon Namphud’s administrative organisation president Wisart Saengsri said his office planned to buy GPS devices for the eight villages to help work out demarcation of land plots.
Occupiers could then obtain a guarantee from local authorities for their use of land, which could be submitted to the province and related agencies.