The Land Department has launched a probe into two plots of land on Koh Samui linked to two Democrats, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam said yesterday.
The plots are located at Khao Phaeng in on Samui Island, in Surat Thani province.
Democrat Party executive Niphon Promphan and Tan Thaugsuban, son of Deputy Prime Minister Suthep, claim ownership of the plots, which critics say were obtained in dubious circumstances.
Opposition lawmakers claim both Niphon and Tan were involved in a land-grabbing scheme.
Thaworn said the key to solving the matter was to trace records related to ownership of the plots.
He said the main opposition party, Pheua Thai, had no links to the private affairs of either Tan or Niphon.
The probe was designed to safeguard government interest and dispel any lingering doubts, he said, dismissing claims he has sought to protect his party's reputation.
In the case involving Tan, the probe would check on records issued before and after the claim of ownership, he said.
Before Tan bought his plot, the land document was upgraded from Sor Kor 1 to Nor Sor 3. And following his purchase, the claim certificate on the plot was transformed into a title deed or full title ownership.
Under the 1954 Land Code, a Sor Kor 1 certificate is a transitional document to note possession of land. It is a first step to the eventual issuing of a certificate of use or title deed. An occupant of a vacant plot can obtain the certificate after settling on the land for six months unopposed.
To the state, the certificate is a claim to the plot - but not a right to ownership.
Under the 1936 Land Code, a Nor Sor 3 certificate establishes a temporary right to occupy the plot. It is issued on a transitional basis with the understanding of an eventual upgrade to a title deed.
The Land Department probe is to determine how and why the original records for the Sor Kor 1 certificate on the plot were reported missing. This is vital to prove the upgrading of the land documents was proper.
In the case involving Niphon, his plot was suspected of having unlawfully overlapped on a watershed area, which was donated by the Arkorn Huntrakul estate to the state.
The donated land is presently under the jurisdiction of the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry.
The probe will focus on checking whether the alleged overlap did occur. If the plot is found to encroach on the watershed, Niphon has pledged to return it to the state.