Unlike title deeds, the Sor Khor document only certifies land utilisation, not ownership. Sittichai is now urging holders of these documents to urgently verify their land claims and have their documents upgraded to title deeds before Feb 6, 2010. After the deadline, owners may have to reclaim their rights in court.
Land documents on Samui have come under investigation by officials amidst concerns over encroachment on forest and public land. It is thought the steep rise in the price of land on the island has led to some land being sold illegally to foreign investors.
To solve the problem of encroachment and the re-application of Sor Khor 1 documents, global positioning system (GPS) technology has been used to identify land occupation on the island.
A source from the Land Department is quoted as saying that many Sor Khor 1 documents which had already been upgraded to title deeds were ´´re-used´´ to seek title deeds over other encroached plots on Koh Samui. The land is then allegedly sold to foreign investors with real estate projects on the island.
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