Palang Pracharat MP Pareena Kraikupt surrendered the 109 hectares of Sor Por Kor (land reform) land on which her chicken farm was built, to the Agricultural Land Reform Office.

In a letter, addressed ALRO secretary-general dated December 6^th, Ms. Pareena said that she had utilized the land in Village 6, Tambon Rangbua of Chom Bung district, Ratchaburi province for agricultural purposes for over 10 years, had paid local taxes for the use of the land and that now she would like to surrender the land to be managed under the land reform program.

In the same letter, Ms. Pareena reserved the first call to use the land for agricultural purposes.

Under the land reform law, however, an individual, who must be a farmer, will be allocated a maximum of 4.8 hectares.

The letter was shown to the media today by Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao, who visited the chicken farm to officially receive the land from the Palang Pracharat MP.

Thammanat told the media that the ALRO will not take any legal action against Ms. Pareena because she had occupied the plot before land reform was introduced and had agreed to return the land to the state.

The deputy agriculture minister confirmed that this consideration will be applied to all those who occupied Sor Por Kor land prior to national land reform came into force.

Regarding the 7.36 hectares, which were found to be on national forest reserves, the Royal Forest Department will decide whether to take legal action against Ms. Pareena for alleged forest encroachment.