The Study for Administrative Managements to Problems of public domain encroachment in Lampang’s Local Municipality

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the problem of encroachment on public land, to present ways in which local ordinances governing the management of this problem by officials in Lampang province might be improved and developed, and to suggest new provisions for use by local government in solving problems with administration in this area. The research involved a literature review, and distributing questionnaires to and holding group discussions and in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the management of land encroachment. A total of 581 people from both the public and private sectors participated in the research. Analysis of the research data shows that encroachment of public land is a chronic problem in Lampang and in more rural parts of the province, the problem is worsening. Factors contributing to this situation include poverty, a lack of access to land, and especially a fixed supply of the latter against an increasing pressure of numbers. However, despite the persistence of this issue, little attention is paid to it and efforts to solve it are lacking because officials have insufficient knowledge of the laws, communities are not sufficiently public-spirited and so there is a lack of cooperation in attempts to address problems with encroachment (a common complaint is that individuals have a right to occupy the land because their ancestors lived there), and most importantly, the public have limited knowledge of the law governing access to and use of land. This is a significant problem and it affects the work of government agencies tasked with managing public land and so it is proposed that local efforts to increase public relations efforts aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the problem should be made and that officials who have a solid understanding of both the problem and the relevant regulations and legislation should help to educate the public. In addition, local, specialized regulations, provided they do not conflict with national laws, would help to increase the efficiency of the work of government bodies, reduce the negative impacts of court action taken against encroachers, build rules and norms that are in accord with principles of good governance, and provide an opening for the public to participate in solving problems with land encroachment and to protect against the impacts of the illegal use of public lands.