Thailand: 90% of the land owned by the richest 10%

According to the Land Institute Foundation, about 6 million people or 10% of the population own 90% of the country’s land. Yet 70% of these plots are speculative land left idle or under-used by absentee landlords. The economic damage from idle land is estimated at 127 billion baht a year.

Isn’t it scandalous when such land excess among the privileged few is allowed while 40% of the farmers do not even have their own land or do not have enough to become self-reliant?

Isn’t it scandalous when 4.8 million farmers lack land to till while 30 million rai of farmland cannot be used because it is locked in bankruptcy lawsuits?

Land reform advocate Permsak Makarapirom claims the country’s current political turmoil is rooted in structural injustice which has fueled popular discontent nationwide. At its core is the scandalous land ownership system. “We must undo it while we still have time. Otherwise, we’re doomed.”

Read the full article at inBangkok Home.