General News

On 12th February 2022, Associate Professor Doctor Surin Maisrikrod, the vice president for international affairs and teaching development of Walailak University (WU) and the WU land reform project’s supervisor, Assistant Professor Doctor Gampanart Sukmak, associate dean for the School of Engineering and Technology, and Mr. Uthai Klawkla, acting director of the Smart Farm Center together lead 20 civil engineering students to jointly build a house for Ms. Klearn Thaniwatch, a 91-year-old resident of WU’s demonstrative community area, Moo 8, Thaiburi Sub-district, Tha Sala District.

Dr. Surin said that Ms. Klearn is one of the 13 citizens who were originally in the university area and they were moved out to newly create their own residence at another place but, thereafter, it came out that their new residence overlapped with other people's areas. Then, a lawsuit happened and they lost the case. So, they were ordered by the court to vacate the land and these are the people who were affected by the process of the university establishment. Therefore, WU reached out to help them as they now have to move out of the contested area. They have until July 2022 to build their own house at another place which the university has arranged with the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO). Although Walailak University does not have a legal responsibility to build houses for these affected people, it has been taken on as a matter of compassion. The villagers have made contributions to WU and to making it into the place of higher education and the notable landmark of Nakhon Si Thammarat province that it is today.
By Phubes Thraisuwan, Division of Corporate Communication's trainee