Since land distribution is the core of land reform, or in other words the essence of land reform is the new arrangement of land possession for distribution to farmers for utilization in living equally. Whereas the distribution of land itself has no effect to the country's agricultural development directly because it is only the beginning step of agricultural development and just to solve the problem of capitalists' land collection, as well as to allocate land with nature and size suitable for agriculture only. Therefore, should we need to develop the country's agriculture and economy in general, we have to take into consideration the land distribution to make it consistent with the country's agricultural structure and the policy on national development as a whole land reform in Thailand aims to improve the ownership in land for agriculture so that the land utilizing farmers have an opportunity to be the land owner or have land for their agricultural occupation permanently. It will help distribute income from the rich to the poor farmers and reduct income gap, as well as increase fairness to the society by developing the use of land efficiently in agricultural occupation which also make progress to the locality and the nation's security simultaneously. As from the enforecment of the Agricultural Land Reform Act as on March 6, 1975 onwards; during 1975-1976 it was mostly the preparation period, and the operation started seriously in 1977. At present the land reform area was declared in 104 sub-districts of 34 districts. The results of the work as a whol is as concluded as follows: Problems and obstacles of land reform work 1. Internal problem: policy issue: in the past the operation was not clear deu ti political instabiity as there were changes of government, the lack of certain policy resulted in the failure of other government agencies to set plan to make it consistent and in line with the work of the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) in time. Law issue: the land surrender authority according to the LanReform Act has bo effect to the performance since the Act of Immovables Surrender, B.E. 2497 is applied mutatis matandis causing delay in operation and a lot of expenses, including the land owner's delay of the land reform. Administration issue: the operation with many activities caused confusion and misunderstanding of the actualduties resulting in failure to put power to the main activities of land reform in some duration, and the administration cannot be done completely because of political effects, and since the land reform is so new that the officials have no experience, the understanding is therefore different. Besides, the problems about the land price estimation, land price payment and interest rate of land bond do not attract the land owners as it should be. 2. Problems about corrdination with outside agencies: operation in form of coordination cuases a lot of problem, such as the work in form of Agriculturak Land Reform Committee causing delay and all agencies aim to perform the work under their responsibility directly only rather that to join the land reform work. At the same time representatives from the government have different understaning about the land reform resulting in uncertain operation form and out-of line cooperation. Advice and solution: to attain the target of land reform there shall be other measures to support: 1. To push the land reform project to be in national policy or project level in rural area development by specifying that government agencies effectively coordinate and opearte the work consistently. 2. To support the budget, it shall be as appropriate to attain the target and as to the work plan set. 3. To accelerate land allocation by having privates land rent or hire-purcahesd by farmers inn order to have revolving fund for operation of the Land Reform Fund. Besides, to accelerate operation of land reform in the areas belong to the government to claose the project in such area. 4. To improve imposition of land and housing tax to make it at progressive rate as to the size of land occupation and utilization. 5. To stipulate law to limit occupation of land not to leave the land vacant uselessly without utilization and make the land price steady. 6. To press and supervise land lease for agricluture strictly by extending the lease period and reducing the rental which will cause the land owners not want to possess land for profy speculation. 7. To improve the measure and method of private land purchase, and to use the land surrender measure striclty with considerationn of land reform principle. 8. To set up a land bank to support the land reform operation and prevent loss or rights in land. 9. To set up an agricultural court and amend land laws to made them in line with andn promote the land reform.
