"Red Bull to return leased land in Khon Kaen following public protest", 16 September 2017

Energy drink company Red Bull…announced that it is ready to return 31 rai (5 hectares) of public land to the people, after a public outcry over a licence granted to the company to lease a plot of land contained within a Khon Kaen community forest.

Local citizens of Tambon Bandong in Ubonrat district have questioned the legitimacy of the Lands Department’s approval of the lease of public land in a community forest to Red Bull subsidiary KTD Property Development Ltd.

Residents have suggested that their identities were stolen for a document showing widespread local support for the lease at a public meeting discussing the issue.

A statement from KTD stressed their position that they have legally leased the land from the authority. They intend to return the land if local people are opposed to the lease, it said.

…As there was opposition to the company’s public land leasing, it would abandon the water management project on the plot as well as terminate the leasing contract and return the land to the people, the statement said.