Sophon: Sopon chaired a meeting of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and assigned provincial land committees to verify temple land rights. The first province to launch the project is Roi Et, which will be launched this December. One Map will be updated for 15 provinces.

According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Saram announced after chairing a meeting of the National Land Policy Committee (NLPC) that the current government has limited time and has given the NLPC a policy that any easy-to-implement matter should be addressed. The Prime Minister has instructed that every meeting, whether it be a NLPC meeting or a subcommittee meeting, must involve decision-makers, as this is a crucial national issue in allocating land to the people to alleviate hardship.

The NBTC meeting considered the issue of land verification for temples located on state land nationwide, which are unable to obtain title deeds based on actual temple use. Traditional land verification relies on aerial photographs and only issues title deeds for areas that appear to be utilized. This new method of verification utilizes both state-issued documents and other archaeological evidence, as well as documents previously mentioned by the Fine Arts Department. This approach will ensure fairness for temples that predate state land ownership and are able to obtain title deeds based on actual land use.

The committee has assigned the Provincial State Land Verification Subcommittee (PorKor.Por.) to perform additional duties beyond the verification process, requiring individuals or community groups to verify title deeds for temples. The committee has also approved a manual and guidelines for implementation, and has assigned the Ministry of Interior, through the Department of Lands, to revise relevant regulations to expedite temple land issuance. The project will launch in Roi Et Province in December.

Mr. Sopon stated that the NBTC meeting also approved the revision of the state land boundary map (One Map) for Group 6, covering 5 provinces, and Group 7, covering 10 provinces. The revision of the One Map addressed technical boundary discrepancies. The committee also approved assistance for residents to access public utilities such as electricity and water. The committee also approved the resolution of the Huai Manao Cooperative Village land allocation project under the Royal Initiative. Deputy Prime Minister Bowornsak Uwanno chaired the subcommittee to study and revise the National Park Act of 2019 and the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019, as well as the subcommittee’s composition. The committee also approved the request for additional budget support for the project to produce a 1:4000 scale aerial photographic map of Thailand for Groups 2-4.