Disputed land on Koh Lipe reclaimed

Pol Gen Wirachai Songmetta, acting deputy commander of Royal Thai Police, traveled to Koh Lipe on Sunday to retake the land, which he said Tarutao National Marine Park had granted to the police to build a police station and accommodations for the island’s officers 28 years ago.
Most of the land, he said, had been illegally seized by powerful business people and investors to build luxury holiday resorts.
Wirachai said that not only had the resort owners unlawfully occupied the land, they had even sued the police in court in an attempt to force the police off the land and demolish the police station.
The police claim on the land is based on their request to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to use the land in Tarutao National Marine Park.
They have had permission since 1989 to use 10 rai of land to build the police station and accommodation buildings.
However, since then the powerful resort owners had encroached on to the land and now only half a rai was left, enough for the police station only.
Wirachai said the police had the right to reclaim the land because the Supreme Court had ruled in August last year that the land rightfully belonged to the police as per the Ministry’s approval from 1989.
This is despite the resort owners’ claim that they have the title deed to the land.