SRT reaffirms its claim to Khao Kradong land to preserve public property

Songsak led the Director-General of the Department of Lands, officials, and politicians to meet with local residents in the Khao Kradong area on Friday ( December 20 ) to confirm their land ownership rights, while mentioning the SRT as potentially infringing on public rights.

In the statement, the SRT expressed concern that the actions mentioned could lead to public misunderstanding about its operations related to the Khao Kradong land, potentially damaging its image. Therefore, the SRT would like to clarify that, as a state agency, the land under its ownership is public property, a national asset. The SRT’s mandate includes overseeing the operations of the Railway Department, and all lands and properties previously owned by the Railway Department were transferred to the SRT.

The SRT is responsible for managing the land in Khao Kradong and for reclaiming any land unlawfully occupied or with improperly issued title deeds. The SRT’s actions to reclaim the Khao Kradong land are fully compliant with the law and do not infringe upon public rights.

Ownership of the Khao Kradong land has been confirmed through the judicial process, with opinions from relevant agencies concluding that the approximately 5,000 rai of land in Isan and Samet Subdistricts, Muang Buriram District, Buri Ram Province, belongs to the SRT.

The Administrative Court has ruled, citing Supreme Court decisions in two related cases, that the disputed land belongs to the SRT. Additionally, the Central Administrative Court's judgment states that the Department of Lands is responsible for revoking the improperly issued title deeds. The SRT does not need to file lawsuits to obtain judgments for each plot of land.

Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Department of Lands to revoke the land title deeds issued over the SRT’s land that were issued incorrectly and unlawfully. This is not an infringement on the rights of the public, as previously alleged.

Regarding the question of why the SRT did not submit the map showing the land boundary, which was the same set of documents submitted to the Supreme Court and clearly indicating the land boundary and ownership of the SRT, to the Land Department's investigation committee, the SRT clarified that it had submitted all documents showing the acquisition of railway land, including the related documents, to the investigation committee. "These are the same documents that were also submitted to the judiciary," the statement said.

The issue of overlapping land title deeds lies with the agencies that issue them, namely the Department of Lands and the Buri Ram Provincial Land Office, which are under the Ministry of Interior’s supervision. When it is determined that title deeds were issued incorrectly or unlawfully, it is the responsibility of the Ministry and the Department of Lands to rectify the situation and take the necessary legal steps to revoke all improper land title deeds.

The SRT affirms that it holds legal ownership of the land at the Khao Kradong intersection, which is public land. The SRT will take all actions within the legal framework to ensure that this land is returned to the SRT to be preserved as public property for the benefit of all citizens.

The resolution of the Khao Kradong land issue should not be difficult if the Department of Lands collaborates with the SRT to follow the law and the rulings of the Supreme Court and the Central Administrative Court.

"It is highly inappropriate for any party to politicize the Khao Kradong land issue for political gain, as this will only complicate the resolution of the matter," the statement concluded.