MPs back away from Pareena land probe

Focus shifts to NACC and asset declaration

The House standing committee on corruption is scaling back its probe into alleged forest encroachment by MP Pareena Kraikupt, who is also a member of the committee.

Committee members yesterday heard from Atthaphon Charoenchansa, chief of the Royal Forest Department, who lodged a police complaint against Ms Pareena for encroachment on 46 rai of forest land.

After the hearing, the committee decided to limit the scope of its inquiry so as not to interfere with the work of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) which is probing Ms Pareena over her assets declaration.

Ms Pareena, a Palang Pracharath Party MP, declared to the NACC assets worth 163 million baht, including 1,700 rai of land in Ratchaburi province.

The NACC found in its preliminary investigation that Ms Pareena actually owns only 682 rai of land.

According to recent allegations, she also possesses 46 rai of forest land, for which she has been charged with encroachment. Both plots were used to farm chickens.

According to the NACC, the MP acquired the 682-rai plot in 2010. However, Ms Pareena only declared the land this year after she was elected as MP — despite having served as Ratchaburi MP three times before.

Mr Atthaphon said yesterday the 46 rai plot overlapped with a national forest, prompting the department to file a complaint against Ms Pareena on Dec 2.

Most of the 682 rai in Ms Pareena’s possession retains the status of Sor Por Kor land reserved for poor and landless farmers under the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro).

Mr Atthaphon said the RFD and Alro are locked in a dispute over which agency should enforce the law to seize back the Sor Por Kor land from Ms Pareena.

Sor Por Kor land is parceled out in 50-rai plots to landless farmers and cannot be sold-on.

The law enforcement problem arose after Alro insisted the Sor Por Kor land is technically national forest land under the RFD’s jurisdiction.

The RFD countered it had entrusted the land to Alro’s care, giving Alro the lawful jurisdiction to enforce the law. The dispute has been sent to the Council of State, the government’s legal arm, for a ruling.

Ms Pareena was present when Mr Atthaphon spoke at the committee meeting, but did not respond to the encroachment issue.