A deputy permanent secretary has signed an order instructing the Land Department to revoke the sale of 924 rai of temple land to the Alpine Golf Course, mainly owned by the Shinawatra family, a well-informed source revealed on Monday.
However, Pornpoth Penpas, Director-General of the Land Department, stated that he has not yet received the order, reportedly signed by Chamnarnwit Terat, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Interior Ministry. Pornpoth noted that if the order had been signed as reported, it could reach him by Tuesday.
According to a source within the Interior Ministry, Chamnarnwit signed the order on 16 January to revoke the registration and all subsequent transactions related to two plots of land belonging to Wat Thammikaram in Pathum Thani. The land was sold to Alpine Real Estate and Alpine Golf and Sport Club in 2002.
The source outlined the steps the Land Department would need to follow upon receiving the order:
The source added that stakeholders affected by the revocation order may file a lawsuit with the Central Administrative Court and seek an injunction to suspend the order pending a ruling.
Stakeholders may also request compensation from the Interior Ministry and the Land Department for the land ownership transfer.
As of 2 September last year, the two plots of 924 rai were valued at 7.7 billion baht, comprising 7.228 billion baht for the land value and 439.05 million baht in mortgage amounts.
Currently, the Alpine Golf Course has 533 owners and 30 mortgagees. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra purchased the land in 1997 for 500 million baht from Chucheep Harnsawat, a former agriculture minister, and Uraiwan Thienthong, the wife of the late Snoh Thienthong. Chucheep and Uraiwan had acquired the land from the temple on 20 November 1969 for just 130 million baht.
On Monday, Pornpoth stated that once he receives the order, the Land Department would inform all stakeholders accordingly so they could take actions to protect their rights.
When asked whether the Land Department had a budget of 7.7 billion baht to pay compensation in the event of a lawsuit, Pornpoth said that would depend on the court’s ruling. He noted that such a case could take years to resolve and that the department had not yet requested a budget from the government for compensation.
Pornpoth added that he was neither concerned nor under pressure regarding the Alpine Golf Course land issue, which has been ongoing for over 20 years.