Woman Denies Attempting to Seize Temple Land, Promises to Accept Court Finding
A woman claiming inheritance rights to disputed temple land says she'll accept court findings if investigation proves the property belongs to the temple, though she argues her family has legitimate claims based on a 1990 land donation that
On August 17, 2025 at 4:30 p.m., Pa Da clarified her position regarding her appointment as estate administrator for the disputed land title deed, stating that if investigation confirms the land belongs to the temple, the family is ready to accept this outcome. She emphasized: "If it turns out to be the temple's property, we accept the rules." Regarding the land title deed, Pa Da said she will proceed with verification and that senior officials under the monastic hierarchy will also conduct an inspection. She noted that a previous investigation conducted 2-3 years ago found that Wat Pa Adulayaram was not listed in the temple register, which prompted the family to pursue further investigation. Pa Da stressed that the family does not wish to seize temple land, as they are not in such dire circumstances, but merely wish to exercise their own rights. She questioned: "If your ancestors left you a title deed like this, wouldn't you follow up? If a donation was made but remains under your grandfather's name, would you just abandon it?"
Regarding the source of the land donation, Pa Da stated that a man named Hiang donated the land on August 17, 1990, before Hiang passed away on December 15, 1991. At that time, "it was not yet a temple and had not been constructed." Therefore, the matter must be reconsidered from the perspective of land law and property rights. Since the land was originally owned by Hiang's ancestors, property rights and the executed agreement must be verified. The agreement contained conditional terms, and Hiang died before the temple was even completed.
Pa Da views this as a land law matter requiring application of relevant land laws and ministerial regulations. However, if the investigation confirms the land rightfully belongs to the temple, Pa Da affirmed that the family has no objection and is prepared to accept. She stated: "If investigation proves it correct, the temple has no problem, it is a perfect temple, the heirs have no problem and will not object."
She reiterated her position: "I have no problem, but the property rights belong to our family and our ancestors, so we must pursue this. Whatever the outcome, we must wait." She also appealed to public opinion criticizing the family, saying: "The family is not a ghost or spirit coming to seize property," and counter-questioned: "If your ancestors came to tour, had a title deed like this, would you agree to give it up?"
Pa Da also noted that since this is a dispute between the temple and heirs, she does not understand why the heirs were not called to participate in the investigation. Regarding the family's earlier investigation that found "the name was not in the temple register, so we thought it was not a temple, but the temple's condition was not okay." When asked if she orchestrated the disruption inside the temple, she simply stated: "I am in Bangkok."
When questioned whether Pa Da was a hired debt collector, land broker, or agent, she declined to answer directly but stated that she would not engage in anything improper. Similarly, regarding allegations that women were hired to find monks in the temple to fabricate evidence, Pa Da said she does not know about this and suggested asking local residents who would know the facts. She remarked: "The most unacceptable behavior is a monk having a wife."
Furthermore, Pa Da addressed allegations that she wore a hijab and brought valuables.
