Red Bull ends lease of public land after outcry

Former Pheu Thai MPs on Saturday inspect a plot of land that had been leased to an affiliate of the energy drink producer Krathing Daeng in Ubonrat district of Khon Kaen. The company has terminated the lease in response to public pressure. (Photo by Jakkrapan Nathanri)

KHON KAEN: An affiliate of the energy drink producer Krathing Daeng (Red Bull) has terminated a lease of public land following an outcry over the use of the site within a community forest.

Suwapong Kitipatpiboon, the deputy governor of Khon Kaen, confirmed on Saturday that KTD Property Development Co had terminated the contract to use the plot at Huay Mek in tambon Ban Dong in Ubonrat district of the northeastern province. The company's letter to terminate the lease was dated Friday, said Mr Suwanpong, who is in the process of informing local residents.

Residents for the past week have piled pressure on senior Interior Ministry officials, including Minister Anupong Paojinda, who signed off on the lease agreement after being informed that residents had raised no objections to the use of the land near the company's energy-drink factory.

Pol Gen Wirun Puensaen, a former Pheu Thai Party list MP, said on Saturday that local residents stood firm on their contention that they had not signed any letter to show their support for the lease of 31 rai of public land.

The land in question in Huay Mek was not a degraded forest, said Pol Gen Wirun, who led former Pheu Thai MPs to meet residents of tambon Ban Dong to gather information about the case. If the company returned the public land, it must also restore the land and surrounding environment, said Pol Gen Wiroon.

Paiboon Boonla, a local resident, said he and other residents had strongly opposed the lease of the land plot since 2012, but their voices had gone unheard. They did not want money or a beautiful road, he said, but simply wanted to preserve the Huay Mek community forest as a natural food source.

Residents would not take any further legal action action against anyone once the land is returned, said Mr Paiboon. If authorities want to investigate officials involved in the process of granting the permit to the company, local residents would not get involved but would let officials do their jobs, he added.

Gen Anupong said earlier that an inquiry would be launched into the role of ministry officials involved in granting the permit to KTD Property Development.

He said that the officials' paperwork, not all of which he had seen when he originally signed off on the deal, contradicted fresh findings suggesting local residents were opposed to the land use.

The Land Department earlierstated that there was no paperwork showing objections from local villagers.