Having large landholdings has often been a problem for politicians, who have had to answer queries as to how they acquired them and for what purpose.
Pareena: Insists farm is lawful
The latest to face such scrutiny is Pareena Kraikupt, the firebrand Palang Pracharath Party MP for Ratchaburi, who was known for her forthright views before she first entered parliament.
Daughter of veteran politician Thawee Kraikupt, Ms Pareena recently called for Somporn Juangroongruangkit, mother of FFP leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, to be investigated.
The 43-year-old MP questioned Ms Somporn's ownership of land in Ratchaburi, saying she was acting on local people's complaints.
Ms Pareena said they believed 500 rai of Ms Somporn's land was part of a community forest.
But as the Somporn land expose was gaining leverage, she found the tables had been turned on her.
Ms Pareena is now at risk of losing her chicken farm in Ratchaburi after it was found to be located in a land reform area and forest reserve.
The farm forms part of a vast amount of land she owns. The MP declared assets totalling 169.7 million baht upon her election as an MP this year.
In her mandatory declaration to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Ms Pareena reported owning 76 land plots, 58 of which were later found to be so-called Por Bor Tor 5 land, or "no man's land".
The 58 plots cover a total of 1,706 rai in Moo 6, in tambon Rang Bao of Ratchaburi's Chom Bung district, and 1,000 rai of it houses her Khao Son chicken farm.
Questions over her land ownership were brought to the attention of the NACC by Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a member of the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
Ms Pareena insisted it was government land and the Royal Forest Department (RFD) allowed people to farm on it. Her family duly paid the "grass-flower tax" or local tax on the Por Bor Tor 5 land, she said, adding her father came to occupy it in 2011.
However, the RFD, the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro) and a provincial committee decided a fresh survey was necessary, according to Natural Resource and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow has indicated much of Ms Pareena's land could be seized if she has not utilised it according to land reform rules.
But critics believe Ms Pareena will be spared any criminal punishment. The law only demands that she hand back land she is not entitled to.
Capt Thamanat said those who qualify can only occupy a 50-rai plot in a land reform zone and it can only be used for agriculture. This land cannot be sold, though it can be passed down through generations.
Critics have said seizing the land would just be a slap on the wrist for Ms Pareena.
At the same time, Capt Thamanat denied he was being sympathetic to Ms Pareena, a fellow PPRP member, in enforcing the law. The Agriculture Ministry oversees Alro.
Political observers said the deputy minister sounded far from firm when asked what consequences Ms Pareena could face over her landholdings.
Capt Thamanat said he was waiting for an Alro report on the issue which will be judged in accordance with the letter of the law. "The issue is currently subject to legal examination," was his reply to the reporter's question.
Thanathorn: Files petition against EC
FFP boss faces further hurdles
Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit's legal problems are unlikely to have come to an end, even though the Constitutional Court has disqualified him as an MP for holding media shares.
Mr Thanathorn lost his MP status because he failed to transfer the 675,000 shares he held in V-Luck Media Co when he applied to run as a party-list MP in the March 24 general election -- an act prohibited by the 2017 constitution.
The politician, however, told the court that he had sold these shares to his mother, Somporn, on Jan 8 and that she had given him a cheque for 6.75 million baht dated Jan 8.
The FFP leader, who was seen hitting the election campaign trail in Buri Ram province on Jan 8, said he had driven to Bangkok the same day to transfer these shares and even submitted speeding tickets as proof.
However, the court said there was no official evidence reflecting the transfer of shares, which should have been reported to the Commerce Ministry's Department of Business Development (DBD) immediately.
The change in V-Luck Media's shareholding register was reported to the DBD on March 21, two days before the polls.
Hence, the court said, Mr Thanathorn's testimony only proved that he was in Bangkok on Jan 8, but did not prove the shares had actually been transferred on that date. Accordingly, the court ruled that at the time of applying for his candidacy, the FFP leader still held shares in the media firm, and disqualified him as a party-list MP.
The court stripped the FFP leader of his MP status, although Mr Thanathorn retains the right to run in future elections.
However, political observers say the next step will be difficult for Mr Thanathorn because he is likely to face a charge of applying to contest the polls despite knowing that he was ineligible. This would be a breach of Section 151 of the organic law governing the election of MPs.
Section 151 stipulates that those who apply to become an MP despite knowing they do not meet the requirements under the law can face up to 10 years in jail, a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 baht, and may also have their voting rights suspended for 20 years.
With the judgement on Mr Thanathorn's MP status out, the Election Commission (EC), can now proceed with taking Mr Thanathorn to court for allegedly applying to become an MP despite knowing that he was ineligible.
The FFP leader, however, is not the kind of person to take things lying down.
Two days before the court issued its ruling, he filed a legal complaint against all seven EC members for malfeasance, accusing them of violating the 2017 Election Commission Act, as well as the Criminal Code's Section 157, by rushing to file a case against him even though the fact-finding panel had yet to finish examining the case.
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases will decide on Dec 3 whether to accept this complaint.
Warong: Wants move to smaller party
'Dr Rice' wants in on the ACT
Former Democrat Party MP for Phitsanulok Warong Dechgitvigrom has resigned from the party amid speculation that he might join the Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT) Party, a government coalition partner with five MPs under its wing.
After experiencing a shocking loss to a Future Forward Party candidate in the general election, Dr Warong, who formerly served as a Phitsanulok MP after three consecutive elections, has kept a low profile.
Dr Warong became known as "Dr Rice" for his role in exposing the rice-pledging scheme scandal under the administration led by Yingluck Shinawatra, who was sentenced in absentia for her role in the alleged fraud estimated to have cost the country hundreds of billions of baht.
Before Dr Warong decided to turn his back on the party, several former Democrats, who had defected to the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), invited him to switch to the PPRP, but he declined.
He told the Bangkok Post that he was keen to join the ACT because he has unreserved trust in the political ideology of former Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thuangsuban, who is the ACT's co-founder.
"I believe I can do a lot of work in the ACT. I am not bargaining for any position, but I am sure I will be able to be myself and take a proactive role which I am good at," Dr Warong said.
He said did not think he was suited to work in a large political party, adding that if he joined the ruling PPRP, he may not be able to work in his own style, as he believed he would be able to in the ACT.
"Political parties in our camp, including the PPRP and the Democrats, are too conservative in their approaches. But if I join the PPRP, I will propose a proactive working style to modernise the party," Dr Warong said.
Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul, who is also leader of the ACT, said it is highly likely that Dr Warong will join his party.
According to MR Chatu Mongkol, Dr Warong has calibre, vast experience and a strong political network.
Democrat Party leader Jurin Laksanawisit has confirmed Dr Warong's resignation and played down reports about a possible rift within the party.
Mr Jurin declined to say if there is any conflict or problem in the party that might have prompted Dr Warong to quit.
Thepthai Senpong, Democrat MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, agreed it is possible Dr Warong will join the ACT. However, he said he does not foresee Dr Warong's resignation setting the party back or prompting other Democrat members to follow suit.
"I don't think he feels uncomfortable working with the party. He contested for the party leadership and continued to work for the party consistently," said the Nakhon Si Thammarat MP.
It was reported that Dr Warong submitted his hand-written resignation to Mr Jurin on Nov 19 and the letter did not specify a reason why he wanted to part company with the Democrats.
