In an open letter submitted to Surayud's aide, Confederation for Democracy chairman Weng Tojirakan and Foundation for Democracy Heroes chairman Sant Hatirat said Surayud violated the Forestry Act of 1941 and Reserved Forest Act of 1964 by having a house in a forest reserve.

The letter said that even though Surayud claimed that he bought the 20-rai plot and had paid tax on the land since 1994, and that the acquisition was in line with a Cabinet resolution of June 1998, his action violated the intention of the law.

The letter said the intention of the Cabinet resolution was to solve a land shortage and pave the way to give the poor some land for agriculture to earn a living, and banned purchases and occupation of such land by outsiders.

The two groups also called on agencies to inspect degraded and reserve forests across the country and take action against offenders.

Weng said Surayud had already conceded that the land occupation might not be right, so he would do better to take responsibility before the controversy destroyed his integrity.

"If he thinks that running the country needs high ethics and morality, then he must quit because what he did was unlawful,'' he said.

Weng dismissed the excuse that hundreds of thousands of people occupy forest land in line with the Cabinet resolution, reasoning that the state had the duty to support them if they were poor.

The groups also called on the government to dissolve the Council for National Security's Special Operation Centre, saying that the Bt555-million budget allotted to it would be a waste because the military has already received a budget 34 per cent higher than last year, or Bt80 billion more.

"If there is any emergency, the PM can mobilise forces to deal with the situation; there is no need to establish such a centre,'' Weng said.