3 Jan 2015: Thailand's Royal Forest Department says it will not renew some 32,000 ha of plantation concessions, but allocate land to local farmers instead
Note: Bangkok Post report says that "If a plot is found suitable for rehabilitation, the land will be reforested. If not, those plots will be allocated to the poor under a land redistribution scheme. " 20,000 rai is about 3,200 ha and 200,000 rai is 32,000 hectares.Thailand...The Royal Forest Department announced it would not renew plantation concessions. Deputy director-general Somchai Masathian said the land plots should be allocated to local farmers rather than wealthy investors... For 30 years, palm concession holders have paid just 30 baht per rai to the state, Mr Somchai said. More than 200,000 rai of land has been granted to companies, including big players in the palm oil. Several of these companies have managed to secure upwards of 20,000 rai to plant their crop... http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/814096/palm-oil-giants-lose-rights-to-forest-land. © Post Publishing PCL. All rights reserved.
Earlier news report
Palm oil farmers in Krabi block access to airport during protest - Scuffles broke out when residents whose businesses rely on tourism confronted the protesters. By Panu Wongcha-um, Channel NewsAsia 13 Nov 2015, ... The farmers have been protesting since Thursday, demanding redistribution of land concessions based on a 2003 Cabinet resolution on land distribution for the poor. They want to be able to farm their own land.... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/palm-oil-farmers-in-krabi/2257784.html
