Banglamung District Chief
Sakchai Taengho (center) questions Nong Plalai Sub-district Council
President Banjet Thimthong (right) about what is thought to be illegal
excavation of public land.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
The president of the Nong Plalai Sub-district Council is under investigation
for hiring a private company to dig up land surrounding a public irrigation
canal.
Banglamung District Chief Sakchai Taengho led a team to investigate
complaints from villagers in Rongpoh that a 900-rai parcel in Moo 4 was
being excavated and the soil sold illegally.
District personnel arrived to find a truck and backhoe from a company called
Jetsermzup, which is owned by Nong Plalai Sub-district Council President
Banjet Thimthong.
Sakchai checked with Banjet, who claimed his firm was hired by a company
called Ban Rai SR, which claimed to own the land. The 51-year-old president
said his firm had excavated in 30 rai of the parcel to build a dam for
farmers in the area.
He said the soil dug up mostly was redistributed around the property, but
admitted some was sold.
According to Nong Plalai village chief Suthat Butnont the property housed an
irrigation ditch where lotus flowers grew along with a retention basin for
Moo 3 and Moo 4 residents. As such, he said, it is impossible for anyone to
own the land.
Sakchai halted all work on the site and assigned Kochasit Mulsrakhu, the
Nong Plalai permanent secretary, to investigate whether a land deed does
exist, whether permission for the excavation was obtained and, if so, to
void any ownership and work order on the public land.