The Provincial Court has sentenced seven villagers in northern Thailand to one year’s imprisonment for encroaching onto private property.

The Provincial Court of the northern province of Lamphun on Wednesday, 25 May 2016, read the Supreme Court’s verdict, confirming the ruling of the Appeal Court to sentence seven villagers from Ban Phae Tai Village of Wiang Nong Long District of Lamphun to one year’s imprisonment without suspending the jail term for encroaching onto a private land plot of Inthanon Kankaset Company.

Initially, 10 villagers were indicted for trespass, but three have died.

The seven are: Sukaew Fungfoo, Pipob Harukamja, Songmuang Poyapan, Wanlop Yawira, Wanlop Waiwa, Kam Sangraeng and Buarai Sangraeng.

The Supreme Court ruling ends the conflict between Ban Phae Tai villagers and Inthanon Kankaset Company which had been ongoing since 1990. The company obtained the title deed for the 600-rai land plot in 1990. The villagers who had been using the land as a community plot were not informed at the time about the procurement of the land.     

Earlier, in December 2015, the Provincial Court postponed its ruling on the case as the Land Management Institute of the Land Bank stepped in to try to foster reconciliation between the villagers and the company. However, no concrete result has been reached.

In 2006, the Court of First Instance dismissed the charges against the seven villagers. However, the Court of Appeal later overturned the ruling in favour of the company.

Sukaew Fungfoo (centre) (Photo from Landjustice4Thai)