The slum has long been a contentious area, with authorities arguing that the 2,000 families have encroached on government land, and refusing to adopt or repair roads or supply other basic infrastructure.
In January, however, the villagers came under a new threat when a local businessman claimed that he owned a large chunk of the land under the community.
The first the villagers knew of this was when they saw Land Office surveyors measuring the land. They chased the surveyors off and marched to Provincial Hall to protest.
Now, however, says community leader Surasak “Sak” Udom, it has been shown that the Sor Kor1 paper on which the businessman’s claim was based applied to land in another area, not to the Soi Kingkaew land.
It has now been established that the land, originally mangrove forest, belongs to the government and comes under the Royal Forestry Department (RFD).
“It has already been proved that the businessman’s Sor Kor1 paper is [not legitimate],” said Mr Sak. “In the past we were shown many land papers by a group of people claiming to represent the businessman, but after this one was proved not to be legitimate, no one else has been here since,” he added.
Mr Sak told The Phuket News that everything is now better for the community. “The [RFD] are now letting people live in the village by declaring the land to be ‘decayed forest’ and allowing the installation of some public utilities such as water and electricity supply.
“We are satisfied that we are able to live in our homes with water and electricity, though we must pay to build [proper] roads,” Mr Sak said.
The 300-rai community has now been separated from the remaining mangroves by a canal dug by the RFD so that the villagers can stay where they are without further disturbing the environment.