They also asked for help in getting the dispute resolved in the courts as fast as possible.
Ronhem Sangkao, head of the community, explained, “A total of 46 households in the community, including elderly people, children and students, have been living there since 1988, but in the past few months seven or eight houses were demolished by business people.”
In a letter explaining their plight, the villagers wrote, “We would like to ask for justice on any related case involving local residents, especially the following points:
“We ask the Court to make its judgements on cases related to residents as fast as possible; that the boundary of our community be fixed as soon as possible and that the Supreme Court investigate and decide on the issue of land titles for residents as soon as possible.
“We also ask that business people and everyone involved with the land issue stop threatening residents, demolishing or damaging homes, or filing complaints against local people while the cases are being considered by the court.”
Mr Ronhem said, “The villagers are frightened about men who come into the community at night and try to damage their houses. They also sometime threaten us [to try to get us] to leave.
“Please sympathise us and allow us to live here peacefully until the court makes its decisions,” Mr Ronhem said.
Phuket Damrongthan Center Chief, Prapan Khanprasang, accepted the letter and promised the villagers he would help as soon as possible.
The pleas are the latest in a series of volleys between the villagers and the business people, which earlier this year deteriorated into gunplay and arson, with both sides threatening the other to the point where the Royal Thai Navy had to send heavily armed troops to restore peace.
On June 2 a small camp for workers clearing the land on behalf of the business people was attacked by men armed with shotguns and petrol bombs.
The villagers have already been told by the Land Office that they have no right to squat on the 83 rai of land, which is owned by a partnership. The partners were previously identified as Prajit Hongyok, Samran Saengyanuprab, Prateuang Kreuathong and Supalak Kunarak, who hold land deeds dating back as far as 1913.
In June, five villagers were arrested by the Navy for the attack on the work camp, and guns and knives were confiscated from them.