9 November 2012, Bangkokpost news - Royal Forest Department project to allocate land rights documents to forest dwellers has been shelved, after environmentalists objected.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Preecha Rengsomboonsuk said yesterday he has instructed the department to shelve its plan until further study is carried out to make sure forest land will not be harmed.

The department planned to issue land rights documents to some 15,000 forest dwellers. Staff will examine the forest areas to be allocated to the land occupiers to make sure the project will not harm the forest land as claimed by protesters, he said.

The RFD chief Boonchob Sutthamanuswong said earlier this week the department would grant Sor Tor Kor land occupation right documents to 15,000 families living on around 300,000 rai of protected forest in nine provinces.

The project, which aims to solve land rights conflicts between forestry officials and forest dwellers, would be extended to another 2.5 million rai in the next three years, he said.

Most of them are in political strongholds of the government, especially provinces in the North and Northeast.

The Assembly of NGOs for the Protection and Conservation of Environmental and Natural Resources on Wednesday opposed the policy, arguing it would offer no benefits to the country.

Hannarong Yaowaloes, chairman of the assembly, also asked why the department planned to issue such large numbers of right documents to people in Loei province, many more than in other provinces. "Is it because this is the political base of the Natural Resources and Environment Minister?" he said.

He added the assembly will write to Mr Preecha, demanding he cancel the project. Deteriorated forest proposed for the giveaway still could be turned into fertile forest if occupants were kept away.

Boonyeun Kongpetsak, a member of the Land Reform Network of Thailand, said issuing land right documents was not the right solution to help the poor. The documents could still end up being sold to the rich.

An unclear policy on forest land management would eventually lead to the loss of forest land and natural resources.

Meanwhile, Donnapee, director of the Forest Land Management Office, said the latest aerial survey in 2008 found about 20 million rai of deteriorated forest zone land nationwide.

Of this figure, 6 million rai is entangled in legal disputes with forest dwellers.

Land rights documents were to be issued for the 14 million rai where there are no land use conflicts, he said.

He insisted, however, the land rights document issuance policy would be able to limit forest encroachment, and the department has measures in place preventing the transfer of land rights to the rich.