Family to dispute temple’s land rights

The original owners of a community land plot claimed by Wat Kalayanamit plan to dispute the temple’s ownership rights and reclaim the land after the temple starting evicting its tenants.

Chieanchuang Kalayanamitr, a great-grandchild of Luang Rattabodin, who was the son of the original land owner and temple founder, Chaophraya Nikornbodin, said his family gave the management rights of the land to the Education Ministry, then called the Dharmakan Ministry.

The ministry was in charge of collecting rent from the temple.

He wonders if foul play was involved when the land ownership of the plot was later transferred to the temple in 1975.

The 15-rai of land, next to the temple, was to be used to ensure support for the temple in the long run, he said.

People who stayed on the land could offer alms, he said, while the rental fees would be used to maintain the temple.

His lawyer is preparing documents to pursue the case in court, while the family is considering a bid to regain ownership rights, said Mr Chieanchuang .

He challenged Wat Kalayanamit to present documents to show an acknowledgement from the Kalayanamitr family over the transfer of land ownership.

The move came after the temple started to demolish 57 houses in front of the temple last Wednesday after it won a court battle to evict the tenants.

Mr Chieanchuang’s plan is to take back the 15 rai of land and re-donate it to the temple on one condition: the tenants must be able to stay and rent the land as his ancestors wanted.

Meanwhile, tenants of the temple complained of threats and intimidation as the temple accelerated the eviction process. Initially, the community understood it had three months to get ready to move.