CityNews – Around 1,000 agriculturists from Mae Sao district of Mae Ai have complained to the local government asking that Article 44 is used to eradicate illegal orange farms who have been stealing water upstream without problem.
On May 26, Chaluay Puangplab, the head man of Mae Ai along with the 3rd Army regiment, Phamuang Force and several other departments of government joint a meeting to discuss the lack of water for agricultural fams localted downstream of a large number of orange farms that the agriculturalists believe are breaking the law and stealing water reserves for themselves.
They claim that many orange farms have set over 30 pipes into the river to illegally take water to help water their oranges. As a result farmers downstream are not getting the amount of water expected and their crops are suffering.
in addition, they also claim that most of these orange farms are in the Doi Pha Hom Pok National park, a protected forest that should have no farms or land used for agricultural.
The agriculturalists have demanded that if nothing can be done right away, that the government use Article 44, which empowers the NCPO leader to issue any order “for the sake of the reforms in any field, the promotion of love and harmony amongst the people in the nation…”, to help remove the orange farms and prevent them from stealing water reserves.
Despite being invited, the owners of the accused orange farms failed to attend the meeting. Officials said that they would help in solving the problem by first changing the current 4inch pipes to 2inch pipes to help reduce consumption as they look into the legitimacy of the orange farms and their actions.