The impression some might get from media reports of the current crisis suggests that the current government does not care about the plight of the poor in places such as Isaan. Perhaps this is true. But I’ve also heard what at best can be described as “pieces of information” that suggest that the current government has tried at least a couple of programs to help the poor, but that these have come in the form of directly helping the individual farmer—potentially at the expense of middlemen who may also be local phuu yai baan.

I’d be curious if anyone can confirm this, and knows any detail on these programs and can post them here. Specifically, I’d heard that instead of past programs that supported the price of rice via stockpiling it (which might mostly benefit rice traders), this government was handing (or perhaps planned to hand) subsidizes directly to farmers. Additionally there’s been talk of farmer debt relief, but as lannarebirth pointed out somewhere that may hurt whoever holds the debt.

I haven’t read about these programs in the western media. Not sure why that is--perhaps they don't really exist. Or perhaps as some here on TV have suggested the current government isn’t good at getting their message out.

Anyway, appreciate any thoughts from people who may have more knowledge on this subject. If there's any truth to it, it might help explain the current state of affairs.

There have been countless programs virtually all of which were failures. The reasons for the failures are common to all third world ethnic poor. The last Prime Minister to directly handicap the middle men was Pleak Pibulsongkram in the 1950s when he decided to levy direct taxes on Chinese owned businesses based upon his perception that Thai owned businesses could not otherwise compete in the open market. During this time, 3 attempts were made on Pleak's life presumably by the Chinese. His party was openly opposed the Democrats, the party currently in power who also opposed Thaksin.

All more recent attempts have failed largely because Plaek was correct in his assessment. Thaksin's attempts were more popular and more inclined to appease the poor because he made it easier for them to cut through the bureaucracy.

Part of the current struggle is about this. PTP is the middlemen party. It is full of them. Becuase the Dems arent they would like to cut the middlemens power. The nbew rice program which cut the middlemen out is on example. Thaksin's previous governments set uo rice support programs that meant the middlemen took most of the money and sold unsaleable rice to the government often many times over foir the same load of rice.

Other proposals on land and inheitance taxes will also hit the middlemen hard but again they remain Democrat proposals and the PTP will ceetainly not let them go through.

Dont think the Dems do this because they love th epoor. It is about electoral poltics. Now th emiddlemen - millers, money lenbders etc control everything including how people vote and the Dems would like to cut this out. You dont voter against the guy who will buy your rice or lend you money