Police in Khon Kaen’s Muang district have deployed officers to protect a temple at the centre of a long-running land ownership dispute with the family of a man who donated 21 rai (3.36 hectares) of land for its construction, following threats to have the temple demolished.
Six police officers were stationed at the three entrances to Pa Adulyaram Temple on Thursday, while motorcycle patrols were deployed around the temple.
The security deployment came after a woman claiming to be a relative of the estate administrator involved in the legal dispute said in a recent television interview that she would bring in backhoes to demolish the temple walls.
The threats came after a group of people blocked the temple’s entrances and exits with concrete pipes and posted a notice claiming ownership of the land on August 10.
The notice ordered anyone occupying the land to remove all buildings and property within 15 days. The abbot said it was the second such incident since litigation between the estate and the temple began.
On August 11, police, administrative officials, land officials, representatives of the Provincial Office of Buddhism and community representatives inspected the site after the abbot filed a complaint.
The dispute dates back to Aug 17, 1990, when Hiang Phimsri signed an agreement to donate the land for the establishment of the temple. According to documents presented by the temple, the agreement was made in the presence of the Muang district chief and a land official.
Hiang died on October 15, 1991, after which his wife was appointed estate administrator. A dispute over rights to the land subsequently led to two rounds of litigation between the estate and the temple, with the courts ruling in the temple’s favour in both cases. The latest legal challenge is now pending before the Supreme Court.
Pa Adulyaram Temple abbot Phra Khru Adunsarnanitet said the disputed land was donated to the temple by Hiang and that the temple had documentary evidence supporting the donation, including photographs showing Hiang handing over the land, the temple’s financial records from 1990 and relevant land documents.
The abbot also presented documents showing that the temple was officially established and recognised by the authorities in 1998.
He said the land dispute had already gone through the courts and rejected claims that the temple was occupying the land illegally.
Meanwhile, a woman claiming to be an heir of Hiang presented a copy of the disputed land title deed on Thursday, saying she did not want to harm Buddhism or demolish the temple but was seeking to protect her family’s legal rights.
Darunee said she had pursued legal action for more than 20 years over the land dispute and wanted authorities to fairly verify the validity of the relevant land documents.
She said the original plot covered about 6.72 hectares before portions were allocated to other agencies, leaving the area now under dispute.
Hiang had nine heirs, she said. When the family later applied for a land survey to obtain title to an additional area of more than 0.96 hectares at the edge of the original plot, the application was challenged on the grounds that the land belonged to the temple.
The dispute subsequently dragged on through the courts, with the main case now pending before the Supreme Court, she said.
Darunee stressed that she did not intend to harm monks or destroy the temple. Rather, she said, she wanted to protect her family’s rights under the law and called for a fair examination of the relevant title deeds and other land documents.
