In Southeast Asia, Unemployed Abandon Cities For Their Villages

[Gravelrash]

Bangkok Pundit Blog spotted the following story in New York Times:

DON SAO HONG, Thailand — After months of clinging to the hope that Southeast Asia might avoid the worst effects of the global economic crisis, layoffs across the region have gathered pace, governments are announcing sharp falls in economic growth and lawmakers are passing a raft of stimulus packages.

Here in the northeastern corner of Thailand, the unemployed, still paunchy from lives in the big city, have begun to trickle back to their villages.

While the crisis in the West centers on insolvent banks, home foreclosures and swelling unemployment, in Southeast Asia economists predict that one hallmark of the downturn will be the exodus of workers back to the family farm.

“It won’t take them long to lose their bellies,” said Samer Songserm, the 56-year-old wizened headman of this small village who has counted 10 unemployed workers returning from Bangkok over the past two months.

From the bright green rice-terraced hills in Indonesia to this expansive plateau in northeastern Thailand, an exceedingly fertile countryside is a cushion for hard times for Southeast Asia’s 570 million people.

The number of workers returning to their villages, while difficult to measure because many do not report their working status to the government, appears to be accelerating. Here in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand’s fourth largest, officials say 2,187 workers have returned from other provinces and registered as unemployed since November, half of those in February alone

...Continues New York Times

[Scott]

I think the country is in for some tough times. In the past 20 years that I have been here, I have seen a lot of families sell of their land when the prices were high; they then blew the money, so there really isn't much for the family to return to. A house, but no farm land.

It would be interesting to know what % have a place to return to that can provide subsistence. The remaining folks might have real problems -- and they may end up being a problem for others.