Landless farmers' rally ends in fight with locals
ABOUT 100 landless farmers rallied outside Krabi Airport yesterday demanding that they be allowed to go back to the land they were living on, but they ended up clashing with locals working and living near the aviation facility.
Angry residents lambasted and began fighting with the protesters because the rally was affecting their lives. Some five people were injured.
As many as 100 members of the “No Land Thai People Association” showed up to protest against their removal from the palm-oil plantation owned by Univanich Palm Oil Public Co in Krabi’s Plai Phraya district.
Earlier yesterday, a team of 1,100 police officers and local authorities, led by Krabi police chief Pol Maj-General Nanthadej Yoinuan, raided the plantation and forced the 200 or so landless farmers to leave the land after negotiations failed.
The raid ended with 100 people being arrested, and after that the remaining 100 decided to rally outside Krabi Airport asking for the right to settle on the land.
However, some 30 locals showed up and asked the protesters to leave, which later turned into an argument and fisticuffs.
Police officers stationed at the airport broke up the crowd and everything was back to normal as of press time yesterday.
