The 300-metre stretch of land is situated on the slope of Mai Ngao Cape in Karon, close to Freedom beach.
According to information from the PACC, the owner was initially granted a title deed for 20 rai of land in August 2008. However, over 200 rai of land is currently fenced off.
The Secretary-General of the PACC, Pol Col Dutsadee Arayawut, said, “We have found certain irregularities and have reason to be suspicious in how this particular title deed was issued.”
The case is very similar to the ongoing investigation into the issuance of the title deed for 65 rai of land next to Freedom beach, which began earlier this year.
However, the PACC is still not sure at this stage if the same officials are involved in both cases.
According to recently gathered evidence, the person believed to be the owner of the land originally put in a request for the title deed in 1989 without the official SorKor 1 (certificate to show land ownership before 1954). However, his request was refused two years later.
There is no record of his request at the Phuket Land Office (PLO), which has led the PACC to believe that the cancellation is because the land is part of the Nark Kerd Forest Reserve. No individual is currently permitted to have title deeds in forest reserve land.
In December 2006, another individual claimed she had bought the land from the former owner and presented what she stated was the official SorKor 1 to officials and requested a title deed from the Phuket Land Office.
However, officials found out that the paper was a flying SorKor 1. Sor Kor 1 papers are notoriously vague. The paper for an undesirable piece of land can sometimes be “flown” to establish possession of a more attractive plot nearby. Her request was initially dismissed, but she then appealed to officials, explaining that the original owner wasn’t able to prove that it was his land in 1991 as there weren’t any cadastral maps that existed (known in Thailand as the UTM) at the time.
In 2008, the PLO and Department of Land agreed to issue a title deed for the land. However, the PACC recently found out that in fact a cadastral map for that area did exist in 1990.
In addition, although the land was originally suspected to be in a forest reserve area, the PACC has discovered a letter issued by officials from the Forestry Department claiming that the land in fact wasn’t. However, the PACC suspect that the land might also include part of the Kuan Lam Toey grazing reserve, which is considered public land.
When the title deed was granted on August 8, 2008, the land was sold to a company within four days. The former owner of the land, who requested a title deed in 1989, is a major shareholder in the company.
“There are certain aspects of the application process that make us believe the title deed may have be gained illegally,” said Pol Col Dutsadee, “Especially the fact that the owner/s requested land deeds three different times for three different reasons.”
He said that the PACC’s investigations will continue for at least another two months.
The PACC received an anonymous tip-off via its hotline: 1206.