Developer 'bought up land to inflate compensation demand'

By Tul Pinkaew
LOP BURI

    The House agriculture and cooperatives committee has alleged a land developer who is demanding 650 million baht in compensation for land exprop riated for the Pasak Jolasid dam bought up property in the area to gain overstated reimbursement.
    Committee chief Pairote Suwanchawee said Peerapong, orprachum, Sirithamwat bought the 900-rai plot which he claimed he wanted to develop into a holiday resort called Pasak Garden Health Resort knowing that it would be submerged before it could even be constructed.
    ''Although it was common knowledge that the 1994 cabinet approved construction of the one million rai dam located within the provinces of Lop Buri and Sara- buri, which was after Mr Peerapong had invested in the area, making his compensation case legitimate, it was in 1990 when the Chuan Leekpai government endorsed the study of the dam,'' said Mr Pairote. Mr Pairote said that in 1991 , a year after the study was approved, Mr Peerapong started buying land from villagers for small sums. Mr Pairote also claimed that Mr Peerapong might have had some kind of tip-off from a high-ranking government official but the committee was still in the process of determining who and why.
    ''We will summon all ministers involved in the incident since 1990 to appear in front of the panel" he said. Mr Peerapong was among 84 landowners who appealed for more compensation than the 60,000 baht per rai initially agreed to by most affected residents. The Civil Court ruled in their favour and cabinet set aside 7l9 millionbahtto pay compensation, of which 650 million baht would go to Mr Peerapong who claimed he should receive more because his assets went down the drain.

from: Bangkok Post 2005-08-28