500 Farmers Rally At Lumpini Park

[lukamar]

If the farmers were organized on a national scale instead of the small regional groups they have now. They could get land reforms quite easily. If nationally organized all they would have to say to the Government is, "You have until next planting season to get all our demands in motion, and if you do not - we will not plant our crops until they are." Thai rice is a huge export and although without it the economy probably would not crash it would certainly put a dint in the balance of trade.

[Dupont]

If the farmers were organized on a national scale instead of the small regional groups they have now. They could get land reforms quite easily. If nationally organized all they would have to say to the Government is, "You have until next planting season to get all our demands in motion, and if you do not - we will not plant our crops until they are." Thai rice is a huge export and although without it the economy probably would not crash it would certainly put a dint in the balance of trade.

If farmers were seriously forming co-ops or large regional groups, the Phu Yais, the nice Bangkok middle men and the exporters would have them shot.

It's tragic that only the farmers don't make money from the rice industry. My wifes families entire harvest brought in 80,000 baht last year, and two extended families live and work there. The guys who come up and buy and trade it, are all covered in gold and driving new cars.

They were selling the rice for 9baht a kilo... Against the 150baht plus it makes at the supermarkets around the world. Many people are making a lot of money doing nothing. Further, most Thai farmers cannot afford to eat it and grow or buy different strains so as not to loose precious revenue.

If the rural Thais are ever allowed serious education, they will surely revolt and drive out this layer of parasitic scum that exists in Thailand.

Many Thia wonder why farangs prefer darker women from the North East over the middle classes. It's because most folk up there really are hardworking salt of the earth types. Give me Isaan over Bangkok anyday!

Edited January 20, 2007 by Dupont

[Johpa]

If the farmers were organized on a national scale instead of the small regional groups they have now. They could get land reforms quite easily. If nationally organized all they would have to say to the Government is, "You have until next planting season to get all our demands in motion, and if you do not - we will not plant our crops until they are." Thai rice is a huge export and although without it the economy probably would not crash it would certainly put a dint in the balance of trade.

If farmers were seriously forming co-ops or large regional groups, the Phu Yais, the nice Bangkok middle men and the exporters would have them shot.

It's tragic that only the farmers don't make money from the rice industry. My wifes families entire harvest brought in 80,000 baht last year, and two extended families live and work there. The guys who come up and buy and trade it, are all covered in gold and driving new cars.

They were selling the rice for 9baht a kilo... Against the 150baht plus it makes at the supermarkets around the world. Many people are making a lot of money doing nothing. Further, most Thai farmers cannot afford to eat it and grow or buy different strains so as not to loose precious revenue.

If the rural Thais are ever allowed serious education, they will surely revolt and drive out this layer of parasitic scum that exists in Thailand.

Rural Thai farmers have attempted to organize back in the 1970s and responses included the government sponsored deaths squads and the emergence of rightist monks like Kittibhutto (Chaiyo!). This chapter of Thai history is nicely documented in Morelll and Chaianan's book: Political Conflict in Thailand.

Farmers around the world are not allowed to make much profit. The global economic structure ensures that only the large transnational corporations that accumulate, process,and distribute the produce, such as Archer Daniels, make a profit to reward their managers and shareholders with oodles of unearned income. Lest we forget that the invisible hand of the market does not care a wit about the lives of working people. (I wonder if Thomas Friedman, the journalist often seen wearing Bobbie socks, a short skirt, a sweater, and waving pom poms for the "free market", has ever read Veblen?)

The vested elites work hard to insure the working poor do not become organized. In the US the elite uses the race card to divide and conquer the poor. In Thailand, at the moment, the elite is working hard to prevent the newly expanded middle class from joining the poor. To deflect criticism away from the elite as a result of the egregious behavior of one of their own, Thaksin, they are shifting some of the blame, in an indirect manner, to the poor by criticising Thaksin's rural "populist" policies. As one of the most easily taxed groups in Thailand, as elsewhere, the Thai middle class, still predominately Sino-Thai, is easily aroused by the spectre of their hard earned tax money being spent on rural Tai farners. Now that is what I call a populist campaign

[blaze]

If the farmers were organized on a national scale instead of the small regional groups they have now. They could get land reforms quite easily. If nationally organized all they would have to say to the Government is, "You have until next planting season to get all our demands in motion, and if you do not - we will not plant our crops until they are." Thai rice is a huge export and although without it the economy probably would not crash it would certainly put a dint in the balance of trade.

If farmers were seriously forming co-ops or large regional groups, the Phu Yais, the nice Bangkok middle men and the exporters would have them shot.

It's tragic that only the farmers don't make money from the rice industry. My wifes families entire harvest brought in 80,000 baht last year, and two extended families live and work there. The guys who come up and buy and trade it, are all covered in gold and driving new cars.

They were selling the rice for 9baht a kilo... Against the 150baht plus it makes at the supermarkets around the world. Many people are making a lot of money doing nothing. Further, most Thai farmers cannot afford to eat it and grow or buy different strains so as not to loose precious revenue.

If the rural Thais are ever allowed serious education, they will surely revolt and drive out this layer of parasitic scum that exists in Thailand.

Rural Thai farmers have attempted to organize back in the 1970s and responses included the government sponsored deaths squads and the emergence of rightist monks like Kittibhutto (Chaiyo!). This chapter of Thai history is nicely documented in Morelll and Chaianan's book: Political Conflict in Thailand.

Farmers around the world are not allowed to make much profit. The global economic structure ensures that only the large transnational corporations that accumulate, process,and distribute the produce, such as Archer Daniels, make a profit to reward their managers and shareholders with oodles of unearned income. Lest we forget that the invisible hand of the market does not care a wit about the lives of working people. (I wonder if Thomas Friedman, the journalist often seen wearing Bobbie socks, a short skirt, a sweater, and waving pom poms for the "free market", has ever read Veblen?)

The vested elites work hard to insure the working poor do not become organized. In the US the elite uses the race card to divide and conquer the poor. In Thailand, at the moment, the elite is working hard to prevent the newly expanded middle class from joining the poor. To deflect criticism away from the elite as a result of the egregious behavior of one of their own, Thaksin, they are shifting some of the blame, in an indirect manner, to the poor by criticising Thaksin's rural "populist" policies. As one of the most easily taxed groups in Thailand, as elsewhere, the Thai middle class, still predominately Sino-Thai, is easily aroused by the spectre of their hard earned tax money being spent on rural Tai farners. Now that is what I call a populist campaign

Good post Johpa, thankyou.

[hammered]

If the farmers were organized on a national scale instead of the small regional groups they have now. They could get land reforms quite easily. If nationally organized all they would have to say to the Government is, "You have until next planting season to get all our demands in motion, and if you do not - we will not plant our crops until they are." Thai rice is a huge export and although without it the economy probably would not crash it would certainly put a dint in the balance of trade.

Hi Luk

I cannot see poor farmers refusing to plant rice. However, the idea of a true national group does make sense, and could negotiate a lot without even threatening much other than a natioanl demo, rather than the myriad of small groups we get now some of which are real farmers groups and others of which are organized by local influential politicians. All these end up fighting each other as much as anybody else.

The regional issue is another problem. The poor are kept divided on a regional issue to ensure a lack of national organization. All that scary southerner, lazy northerner, stupid northeasterner stereotyping still goes around. On top of that at the present time with divides even extending to family any form of unity around issues of the poor is almost impossible. On top of that as Johnpa points out keeping the middle and lower classes divided is going nicely, and hardly anyone is noticing the development of an urban working class that originally came from the rural poor but now have their own and different needs. They probably remain unnoticed because politically they have little power being required to go "home" to vote, which many choose not to do. I think we bettr add in politicla reform is needed too in terms of doing away with elitist ideas of needing degrees to stand and feudal ideas of having to return to where you are tied to the land to vote.

[ColPyat]

They probably remain unnoticed because politically they have little power being required to go "home" to vote, which many choose not to do.

Going to their home villages to vote sounds also a lot easier than it is.

Just look at the life of such families:

The husband works on average 16 hours a day, makes maybe 12 000 to 14 000 Baht a month. The wife has another part time job that brings in maybe another 4000 to 5000 Baht.

Rent or mortage eats up 4000 to 5000 Baht, add children's school fees and food, and the about 4000 baht that goes upcountry to the parents and the school fees of neviews upcountry, and there is not much left over. A loan maybe has to paid up as well, that had to be taken for a family emergency yonks ago.

Going to vote means a loss of income for 3 days (there are no paid holidays) - that's combined about 2000 Baht, then add the cost of train or bustickets, another 1000 baht, and you have more than a month's savings just to be able to vote for parties that do not represent your interest in an way.

That is a family where the main bread winner has the necessary certificates to work in a proper factory, who has reached after years of work a small position.

There are many who make a lot less than that. Somebody without the necessary Mor 6 certificate makes maybe 300 Baht a day including OT in a sweatshop or construction site, not hired by a company but a small time contractor or agency. The wife makes less, maybe 200 Baht a day at most. Here we have a combined income of not more than 12 000 to 14 000 Baht a month. But still, 4000 to 5000 Baht sent upcountry, rented in this case is a hel_l hole of an apartment for maybe 1500 to 2000 Baht a month. And always the risk that the employer cheats you out of your income, where there is little protection against because such jobs never go with contract.

Basically, for these people there is the choice of either going that year to vote, or to the yearly holiday at Songkran. Both is not possible.

Not exactly a nice life. Remaining in the village though would have been worse.

[hammered]

They probably remain unnoticed because politically they have little power being required to go "home" to vote, which many choose not to do.

Going to their home villages to vote sounds also a lot easier than it is.

Just look at the life of such families:

The husband works on average 16 hours a day, makes maybe 12 000 to 14 000 Baht a month. The wife has another part time job that brings in maybe another 4000 to 5000 Baht.

Rent or mortage eats up 4000 to 5000 Baht, add children's school fees and food, and the about 4000 baht that goes upcountry to the parents and the school fees of neviews upcountry, and there is not much left over. A loan maybe has to paid up as well, that had to be taken for a family emergency yonks ago.

Going to vote means a loss of income for 3 days (there are no paid holidays) - that's combined about 2000 Baht, then add the cost of train or bustickets, another 1000 baht, and you have more than a month's savings just to be able to vote for parties that do not represent your interest in an way.

That is a family where the main bread winner has the necessary certificates to work in a proper factory, who has reached after years of work a small position.

There are many who make a lot less than that. Somebody without the necessary Mor 6 certificate makes maybe 300 Baht a day including OT in a sweatshop or construction site, not hired by a company but a small time contractor or agency. The wife makes less, maybe 200 Baht a day at most. Here we have a combined income of not more than 12 000 to 14 000 Baht a month. But still, 4000 to 5000 Baht sent upcountry, rented in this case is a hel_l hole of an apartment for maybe 1500 to 2000 Baht a month. And always the risk that the employer cheats you out of your income, where there is little protection against because such jobs never go with contract.

Basically, for these people there is the choice of either going that year to vote, or to the yearly holiday at Songkran. Both is not possible.

Not exactly a nice life. Remaining in the village though would have been worse.

Exactly.

And the urban politicians do not want tens of thousands of new voters suddenly added to their small constituencies who have different interests to those they are used to dealing with. And the rural politicians do not want them returning home in droves with their different interests to the poor rural farmer. And the rural politicias definitley o not want tens of thousands of voters veing removed thereby leading to less constituencies up country. So at the moment everyone is happy except for the urban poor who are too tired to think about it right now.

At some point people will need to be allowed to vote where they reside not where their house paper is. This will also need work being done on constituencies both in the urban area and up country to reflect the reality. I dont think we wil see this soon.

[Pakboong]

Robin Hood needs to get back on the job.