The Khon Kaen Provincial Land Office is preparing to file charges against the estate manager of Ta Hiang for giving false testimony by falsely claiming the title deed was lost before applying for a replacement deed, even though it was known not to be lost.
At 3:00 p.m. on 17 August 2026 GMT+7, regarding the land dispute at Wat Pa Adulyaram in Khon Kaen province, Mr. Pongsuwat Chai Ton Tuek, a land official at Khon Kaen Provincial Land Office, updated on the case where Wat Pa Adulyaram opposed the issuance of a replacement title deed after heirs requested a new deed claiming the original was lost. The abbot presented the original title deed, which the temple still holds, to the officials and proceeded to request a name change on the deed from Mr. Hiang Pimsri to the temple.
Mr. Pongsuwat stated that while the Khon Kaen Land Office verified the title deed as genuine and is gathering information to complete the process quickly, the evidence shows that Mrs. Buakai Sornsamut, acting as the estate manager, submitted the request for a replacement deed on 27 July 2026, claiming the original was lost.
“To clarify for the public, a replacement deed can only be issued in two cases: if the original is lost or damaged, or by court order. In this case, since the deed was not lost, the replacement deed has not yet been issued. The estate manager's application is still under process. Once the office accepts the request, a 30-day public announcement period follows to allow objections. If anyone objects, claiming the deed was not lost as alleged, and the deed is indeed not lost, then according to Ministry Regulation No. 43, Section 17(1), the replacement request must be canceled. However, since the cancellation by the land officer is an administrative order, the right to appeal must be notified. The estate manager claimed at the time that “The replacement deed is requested because the original was lost while being kept at her residence. It was not pledged, mortgaged, or otherwise encumbered with any other party.” /
This situation involves two points: 1. The applicant gave false testimony to the land official by asserting the title deed was lost when they knew it was not, which constitutes giving false testimony; 2. Regarding whether this caused harm to others, it has not reached that stage since no replacement deed has been issued yet.
The Khon Kaen land official added that the Land Office will file a complaint to prosecute the applicant requesting the replacement deed. Whether others might also be implicated is for the police to investigate. The filing is scheduled for Tuesday, 18 August 2026 GMT+7, at approximately 2:00 p.m. at Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, coordinated with Police Colonel Yosawat Kaewseubthanij, Superintendent of Muang Khon Kaen Police.