Sutin visits Samut Prakan to look into leasing state land to low-income people

Sutin told reporters that the 3,918 rai (626.88 hectares) plot in question belongs to the Treasury Department, but it had allowed the Royal Thai Navy to use it. However, since the navy has no need for the land, it has decided to rent it out cheaply to low-income families.

Sutin was speaking to local residents at a gathering in the municipality stadium in Samut Prakan’s Phra Samut Chedi district. He was welcomed by deputy navy commander-in-chief Admiral Suwin Jaengyodsuk and deputy governor Sujin Wajakit.

The deputy navy chief chairs a committee in charge of preparing the land to rent out cheaply.

Sutin told the gathering that the ruling Pheu Thai Party had promised to let landless farmers and the underprivileged live and farm on unused land owned by the armed forces.

He said as soon as Pheu Thai became the coalition leader, it assigned the military to start implementing this policy. However, he said, though the armed forces have allocated the land, certain procedures need to be completed before people can get the land.

The minister believes the procedures will be completed within the next month, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin may preside over the allocation of the land for rental.

He reiterated that the land belonged either to the Treasury Department or the Forestry Department and had been given to the armed forces to use.

Hence, he said, even after the plots are divided and allocated to the people, they will still belong to the state. But, he said, the rents will be kept very low and families will be allowed to keep the lease going without a time limit.

He added some of the unused land in Phra Samut Chedi had already been leased and the navy will renew these contracts.

Sutin also handed out bags of dried food and basic necessities to the gathering and even cooked some food for them inside the stadium.