Alro vows not to play around over Mida Golf Club land

The Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) has vowed to seize what it says is 139 rai of illegally held Sor Por Kor land from Mida Golf Club in Kanchanaburi.

Alro chief, Sansern Ajjutmanas, said yesterday the seizure will be made in accordance with orders to take back Sor Por Kor land — land the government allocates to poor farmers, and which is not to be bought or sold.

He said Alro will trace ownership of the land, and try to determine who the first farmer who owned it was; they will then be asked whether they are still using the land for farming activity.

If the land is not being used for this purpose, he said, Alro will seize it and forward the case to the Kanchanaburi provincial committee, whereupon it could be returned to the office.

“The governor will put an end to this case. I can’t say when as it depends on the governor. But what I can say now is that everything will be done under the law and regulations, without any bias,” he said.

Previously, the chief of Alro’s provincial arm in Kanchanaburi, told the media that the office was going to confiscate around 1,900 rai belonging to the company and put up a notice on the land to declare it had been seized.

The golf club, 35 minutes from the River Kwai Bridge and which incorporates an 18-hole course, has claimed that Alro’s action have tainted the image of the company among investors.

The company has also asked the provincial committee to look into the case.

According to Alro, only 139 of the 1,900rai land is Sor Por Kor, with the rest registered under other land rights documents. Mida Golf Club could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Alro is working under the National Council for Peace and Council’s order to seize illegally used Sor Por Kor land nationwide. So far it has been able to confiscate 179,591 rai.

Mr Sansern said that the amount of Sor Por Kor land to be seized nationwide is expected to rise.

He said his office is working through 167 cases involving 52,294 rai of land in Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao and Krabi.