The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship on Wednesday rallied at Government House, submitting a letter of complaint demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speed up legal action against privy councillor Surayud Chulanont for alleged encroachment on national forest reserve land.
Red-shirt activists led by Suporn Attawong gave the letter to a representative from the Government House complaints centre.
The UDD letter demanded the premier, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti and Forestry Department director-general Somchai Piensathaporn quickly bring legal action against the privy councillor and his wife who they claimed improperly possess a vacation home on forest reserve land of Khao Yai Thiang in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
If the prime minister ignores their request, the letter said, he would be in breach of Article 157 of the constitution and guilty of dereliction of duty.
The Attorney-General’s Office earlier said it would not proceed with legal action against Gen Surayud as he had purchased the land legally and it had twice changed ownership before he acquired it. The original owner had been a fault for selling it instead of passing it to his heirs or returning it to the state as stipulated by law
A Forestry Department inquiry is considering further action on the case
The protesters left the Government House compound peacefully after presenting their complaint and headed to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary to submit a letter asking for a report on the progress of the UDD's petition seeking a royal pardon for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra submitted to the office in August.
Gen Surarit Jantrathip, a close aide of Gen Surayud, on Wednesday denied being Gen Surayud's nominee in buying the land at Khao Yai Thiang. He said he had transferred the land to Gen Surayud's wife to ‘repay a kindness’.
Gen Surarit told a news conference that he bought the controversial land from Noppadon Pithakwanich when he had financial problems during the 1997 economic crisis and approached him for help with an offer of the land.
Gen Surarit, who was at the time director of TV Channel 5, said that five years later he gave the land to Gen Surayud's wife. He declined to say how much he had paid for the land.
"It's about military [comraderie], gratitude and shoulder-to-shoulder loyalty on the battlefield," said Gen Surayud's aide. "With the attachment we have, I repaid kindness to Gen Surayud by giving him the land. He repaid me by facilitating my heart operation."
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