The decades-old Alpine land case has returned to haunt Thaksin Shinawatra and his youngest daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn, who also leads the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
Analysts say Paetongtarn – as a former shareholder in the company that owns the disputed plot – may face legal prosecution for grabbing temple land, which would jeopardise her position as prime minister.
The controversy involves a 924-rai (148-hectare) plot of monastic land in Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok. Its original owner, a wealthy woman named Neum Chamnanchartsakda, bequeathed the large plot to Wat Dhammikaram Voraviharn, a Buddhist temple in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
How the scandal erupted
Following Neum’s death in 1971, the plot became temple property – which, by law, cannot be sold or purchased.
However, the abbot at the time reportedly declined to take ownership of the plot due to its distance from the temple. A plan to sell the land was opposed by the estate’s three executors, but the abbot eventually had them replaced with the Mahamakut Foundation.
Ownership was transferred to the foundation, which in 1990 sold the plot to Alpine Real Estate Co Ltd and Alpine Golf and Sport Club Co Ltd for 130 million baht.
The companies were linked to then-deputy interior minister Snoh Thienthong through his wife, Uraiwan, who held a major stake in both. Snoh also oversaw the Lands Department, responsible for issuing land title deeds.
The controversial land plot now houses the Alpine Golf Club and the Baan Rajthanee housing estate in Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang district.
The projects were developed by Alpine Golf and Sport Club and Alpine Real Estate, respectively.
In 2000, Snoh’s family sold the property to Thaksin for 500 million baht. That same year, Snoh joined Thaksin’s newly formed Thai Rak Thai Party as its chief adviser.
Thaksin, as party leader, went on to win the election and become prime minister in February the following year.
After Thaksin took office, the Lands Department revoked the title deeds it had previously issued for the Alpine plot.
The decision came after the Council of State, the government’s legal advisory agency, stated the plot was monastic land and could not be transferred or sold – unless a law specific to the plot was passed.
Casualties
The Lands Department’s decision could only be overruled by order of the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary, Chanasak Yuwaboon. Chanasak reportedly declined to do so and instead resigned from his post.
Yongyuth Wichaidit replaced him as acting Interior Ministry permanent secretary in 2001 and promptly overruled the Lands Department’s decision, thereby reinstating the Alpine title deeds.
Yongyuth went on to become leader of Pheu Thai, Thaksin’s proxy party, in December 2008, a position he held until October 2012.
After Pheu Thai won the August 2011 election, Thaksin’s sister Yingluck became prime minister, and Yongyuth was appointed deputy premier and interior minister in her government.
In 2017, Yongyuth was found guilty of malfeasance for overruling the Lands Department’s original decision. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases sentenced him to two years in prison.
Snoh, however, was spared punishment after the statute of limitations expired.
Hot potato for authorities
Despite the court verdict against Yongyuth, the Interior Ministry failed to revert his order, as the Alpine land controversy turned into a hot potato for authorities.
Thaksin’s former wife Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra and their three children have been the only shareholders of Alpine Golf and Sport Club Co Ltd since his time in power.
Potjaman, who divorced Thaksin in 2008, originally held a 10% stake while her son Panthongtae and daughters Pintongta and Paetongtarn held 30% each.
Shortly before becoming prime minister last August, Paetongtarn transferred her 224.1-million-baht stake in Alpine to her mother, boosting Potjaman’s shareholding to 40%.
The saga took another twist on September 3 last year when then-deputy interior minister Chada Thaised of the Bhumjaithai Party signed an order to restore the Lands Department’s 2001 decision, just days before leaving office.
On January 16, the Interior Ministry revoked the title deeds, returning the Alpine land to temple ownership. The move sparked calls for compensation for those affected, including hundreds of Alpine homebuyers, with a figure of 7.7 billion baht mentioned.
Thaksin also declared that his family deserves compensation since they purchased the golf club in good faith.
