Land dept dismisses Det-it review, insists Khao Kradong case settled by courts
The Department of Lands has reaffirmed its order to suspend efforts to revoke land titles in the Khao Kradong area of Buri Ram, arguing that investigations found no clear evidence the plots belonged to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and that the titles were issued legally.
Reports on Wednesday (September 17) said the department would submit its findings on the Khao Kradong dispute to the Interior Ministry before Deputy Interior Permanent Secretary Pornpoth Penpas gives a press briefing.
The department explained that after the Interior Ministry set up an inquiry panel to review its decision not to revoke land titles in the Khao Kradong area, it had carried out a series of actions in compliance with Supreme Court and Appeal Court rulings. These included:
- Supreme Court ruling 842–876/2017 (February 16 2017): The Buri Ram Land Office cancelled land title applications from 35 individuals and removed their Sor Kor 1 documents from official records.
- Supreme Court ruling 8027/2018 (November 22 2018): The land chief ordered corrections to maps and boundaries of Nor Sor 3 Khor certificate No. 200 in Samet subdistrict.
- Appeal Court Region 3 ruling 1112/2020 (April 22 2020): The Buri Ram Land Office revoked three land titles and utilisation certificates as ordered. The department said all three court judgments had been fully enforced.
In March 2023, the Central Administrative Court ordered a new inquiry into 995 additional plots claimed by the SRT. A panel was set up and gathered evidence, concluding the ownership was unclear and that the titles were legally issued. The land chief agreed and ordered the case closed.
The SRT appealed but the deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry dismissed the appeal, upholding the department’s decision and notifying the SRT of its right to take the matter to court.
The SRT later petitioned the Supreme Administrative Court, which ruled the Department of Lands had complied with the lower court’s order. It added that if the SRT believed the decision unlawful, it should file a case with the Central Administrative Court.
On March 14 2025, the SRT sued the land department, its chief and the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary to annul the closure order. The case is still under review.
Deputy Interior Minister Det-it Khaothong separately appointed another review panel, which recommended that the land chief reconsider the closure order.
The Department of Lands said, however, it had already acted fully in line with the courts’ rulings, while the dispute is now before the Administrative Court. “All parties should await the court’s final ruling, which will ensure fairness through a recognised judicial process,” it said.
