The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has filed new lawsuits to reclaim 15 additional land plots in the Khao Kradong area of Buri Ram province, targeting individuals and companies occupying large parcels for commercial purposes.
The move follows earlier legal action on Oct 14 and 17 against occupants of 11 other plots.
According to an SRT statement, the new cases, filed with the Buri Ram Provincial Court yesterday, involve major holdings, including plots Nos. 600, 601, 602, 1095, 1096, 2767, 2869, 3188, 3195, 3863, 8626, 8662, 8811, 9235, and 25091. The agency said the lawsuits aim to protect public assets and safeguard its long-term interests.
Earlier this week, SRT officials held mediation talks with 35 villagers whose land utilisation certificates (Nor Sor 3) in the same area were revoked by an Appeal Court ruling in 2017. SRT Asset Co, a subsidiary of the agency, is preparing lease agreements to allow these villagers to continue using the land legally.
An SRT source said the 35 villagers are part of a larger group of 995 litigants in a land dispute covering 5,083 rai in Samed and Isan sub-districts of Muang district.
While some residents have accepted the court’s ruling, many remain anxious about rent and eviction.
Sudthai (surname withheld), 65, a former village headman, said locals have fought the case since 1968. Another villager, Yothin (surname withheld), 67, urged the SRT to lower rental rates, citing financial hardship.
The SRT reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue fairly and legally.
In 2021, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the Khao Kradong land forms part of the railway corridor and is state property, ordering the Department of Lands (DoL) to revoke the deeds it had issued and return the land to the state.
This year, with a recommendation from its special committee reviewing the overlapping title deeds, the DoL resolved against the revocation. The SRT thus filed its own lawsuits to assert ownership rights.