Khon Kaen land officials accused of illegal title transfer to temple

Heirs of a deceased landowner have filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) against officials from the Khon Kaen Provincial Land Office. The complainants allege that 3 to 4 officials engaged in misconduct under Section 157 by illegally transferring a 21-rai land title to Wat Pa Adulyaram.

The heirs, represented by Mrs. Buakhai and family members, claim the transfer occurred without their knowledge or consent. They argue the land was intended as land for building a temple under Section 33 (2) rather than being classified as monastic land under Section 33 (1), which would have granted ownership to the temple automatically. They contend the transfer violates the original intent of the donor, ‘Ta Hiang’.

Furthermore, the family raised concerns regarding the validity of the temple's establishment, noting discrepancies between historical documents from 1998—which listed 12 structures on the site—and the actual current state of the land. They are seeking a full investigation into the legality of the title transfer and the accuracy of the information used to approve the temple's status.