State land grab stirs ire

With the government pledging to address a land conflict involving local authorities, ethnic Tai Dam villagers in Surat Thani province — who are facing eviction — can breathe a sigh of relief, albeit temporarily.

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The ethnic villagers, from Ban Na Doem district in Surat Thani, travelled all the way to Bangkok on April 21 to rally and speak out about their plight after negotiations with district officials broke down completely.

Authorities had adopted a heavy-handed approach to the dispute, threatening arrest and prosecution.

On April 23, the villagers met with Deputy Interior Minister Songsak Thongsri, who ordered provincial authorities to suspend the eviction and refrain from intimidating the community.

They agreed to return to Surat Thani while waiting for a subcommittee to be formed within 30 days to investigate and resolve the long-standing land dispute.

The villagers, who settled in Ban Na Doem in the 1950s, said they lived peacefully until 1986, when the state initiated a plan to seize their land.