The lawyer, Ake Srisamuth, said, “This case is already with the court. If the Land Department sets up a committee to investigate the same matter, then what is going to happen if the committee disproves the chanote [land title] and the judge approves it?”
Mr Ake said his client brought the two pieces of land in question before 1990 and had requested Chanote papers back then, offering tax records he paid to prove.
But in 1997 the Land Department issued a ruling prohibiting the granting of a chanote for the land. By that time, however, the owner already had court approval to go ahead with the application.
“In the past so many parties have been involved in this matter and the chanotes for the 65 rai have been scrutinized many, many times.
“The land owner wanted to built a resort but has had to stop the project. Although he now has a chanote for these two plots, he will not be able to sell them. He is paying high interest and owes as much as B400 million.
“If the 65 rai of ocean view land were put on the market today, it would be worth about B1 billion,” Mr Ake said.