Eight rice millers to face charges
The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK; -- Eight rice millers in Songkhla, Chainat, Pathum Thani and Phatthalung will face charges of embezzlement after police and officials last month jointly conducted inspection of their rice stockpiles as the government was hit with reports of a huge loss and rampant corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

Deputy National Police chief Pol General Worapong Chiewpreecha said police found improprieties at 27 rice millers after inspecting their rice inventories. Eight of them will face charges of embezzlement as their stockpiles did not match the quantity in the official reports.

Police will conduct additional checks at 11 rice millers in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party MP Ongart Klampaiboon criticised Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong for appointing a fact-finding panel to scrutinise Finance Ministry deputy permanent secretary Supa Piyajitti after she testified to the Senate committee about the possibilities of corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

Ongart said Supa, who chairs the Finance Ministry's Post Audit Committee on the rice-pledging scheme, had carried out her work in a straightforward manner by revealing the massive loss amounting to billions of baht from the scheme. The government's order to probe her could be seen as an attempt to harass an honest official like her, he said.

Ongart also asked how the government was going to deal with the heavy loss of up to Bt269 billion, including interest, following its decision to immediately slash the rice-pledging price. He also queried how the government was going to manage rice inventories as it had not found a ready market because Thai rice was more expensive than rice from neighbouring countries. He expected more losses from the scheme because the longer the period the rice was kept in warehouses, the lower its quality.

He urged Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisal to reveal all information regarding the scheme - the rice stockpiles, the expenses incurred on the inventories and the prices at which they are sold.

-- The Nation 2013-07-07

Excellent news for the farmers, but this is probably the tip of the iceberg........

"...police found improprieties at 27 rice millers after inspecting their rice inventories. Eight of them will face charges of embezzlement........"

.....and the other 19 ????

a/ will face other charges

b/ are politically connected

c/ shin corp or related companies

d/ made a suitable financial understanding

Corruption an other wrongdoings in the rice scam

Where is the news?

Everyone knew this front the get go

Eight rice millers are being charged due to lack of political connections.

19 rice millers are free to carry on business as usual because theyre 'connected' and own bigger guns than the rice police.

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

The government's order to probe her could be seen as an attempt to harass an honest official like her, he said.

Somebody has the gumption to speak up about what's going on, the government response is to put the screws on and hope the good person either withdraws her statement or runs away, giving the government the chance to point the finger at the honest person and call her a liar.

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

I noticed some were in the south but I haven't checked the rest yet but if true it would seem a bit suspect.It would be interesting to know if those that were charged either didn't have connection or had the wrong connections. We can't just say this was all done to attack opponents while ignoring supporters but in the current climate there does need to be clarity on this.

Weren't the public assured, only last week, that a "raid" or check last week, had found no irregularities at 2,100 warehouses ?

And wasn't the PM demanding that any corruption discovered should be reported to herself or the government, don't the police ever tell their bosses, as cases proceed ?

We all know it's happening, the denials are therefore worse-than-pointless, time to shine the clarifying-light of day on PTP's murky scheme, whatever part of the country the '"improprieties" occur in !

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

+1

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Only Southern ones I recognise are Songkhla & Phattalung.

I wonder if the people the rice millers paid off will have to give the money back and face charges?

The government's order to probe her could be seen as an attempt to harass an honest official like her, he said.

Somebody has the gumption to speak up about what's going on, the government response is to put the screws on and hope the good person either withdraws her statement or runs away, giving the government the chance to point the finger at the honest person and call her a liar.

The government's order to probe her...

Maybe they became aware of the old peasant's cunning: one rotten apple can ruin the whole basket and paraphrase it to Thai style. Already three honest and fearless officials (maybe there won’t be many more) can ruin the government’s self-declared image as an institution actually serving the people of whom they bought the votes

Dear Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong

Excellent news for the farmers, but this is probably the tip of the iceberg........

Excellent news for the farmers, but this is probably the tip of the iceberg........

Tip of the riceberg.... once they start digging here every part of the whole chain from farmer to politician will be found with rice flour on their hands... however of course if they can isolate the balme at the rice millers then this will suit all

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Only Southern ones I recognise are Songkhla & Phattalung.

Don't let facts spoil a good conspiracy theory !!

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Where can we find the provinces named ?

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

I noticed some were in the south but I haven't checked the rest yet but if true it would seem a bit suspect.It would be interesting to know if those that were charged either didn't have connection or had the wrong connections. We can't just say this was all done to attack opponents while ignoring supporters but in the current climate there does need to be clarity on this.

Yes, i do wonder, seeing as how the south is the Nest of the Democrat Party (Yellow shirts) this could once again be political.

Those naughty pesky mice again, eating all the rice.

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Only Southern ones I recognise are Songkhla & Phattalung.

Don't let facts spoil a good conspiracy theory !!

If you were to rate the provinces 1 - 76 for southern-ness, the 4 mentioned would be much higher than 38. Certainly not Isaan, and only one (slightly) north of BKK

Ongart also asked how the government was going to deal with the heavy loss of up to Bt269 billion, including interest, following its decision to immediately slash the rice-pledging price.

Is this old news or do this guys just talk without any research. I thought the price reduced has been reversed already.

Who would bet a single Baht that anyone involved in this megascam will ever go to prison? We all knew what would happen from the minute the scheme was announced by the Government; but of course, those in Government knew full well what would happen as well because this whole thing was put together to get certain people 'compensated' for getting the current 'ice cream gang' into power. It was never about the Farmer's getting a fair deal; that was just a smokescreen for the real deal.

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Where can we find the provinces named ?

All are in Thailand! Google provides maps too.

BTW 2 provinces solid democrat, 1 BJT and Pathum Thani held by PTP (possible mis-reporting?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MPs_elected_in_the_Thai_general_election,_2011

Oh yeah, I really bet the Rice Millers up north are all card carrying PT REDs

You really need to give this some thought before you open posts and insert foot

All the provinces named are in the South are'nt they?....Funny!

Actually Chainat and Pathum Thani are in central Thailand. However, it is interesting to note that none of the millers are in the North or Issan... where PT's loyal voters are.

One thing that never seems to be stated is that the farmers never receive the amount promised by the pledging scheme, it is ripped off even before worrying about rice stockpiles.

One thing that never seems to be stated is that the farmers, who the scheme is supposed to help, NEVER receive the pledged price. The whole scheme is ripped off start to finish

Oh yeah, I really bet the Rice Millers up north are all card carrying PT REDs

You really need to give this some thought before you open posts and insert foot

Why would all the rice millers up north have to be PT reds? Would that in any way change the disproportionate opposition representation in the named provinces?

"...police found improprieties at 27 rice millers after inspecting their rice inventories. Eight of them will face charges of embezzlement........"

.....and the other 19 ????

a/ will face other charges

b/ are politically connected

c/ shin corp or related companies

d/ made a suitable financial understanding

I hope they all identify all of those further up the chain who gain the most out of this; however, I suspect that this goes so far up the chain that these scapegoats wouldn't even make it to the courtroom to give their evidence....

It is just 9 billion dollar. The army is wasting that amount every quarter. Sometimes they buy an aircraft carrier for helicopters, sometimes they buy armored vehicles fro the Ukraine without airco that serves now as a artificial reef and sometimes they buy a leaky Zeppelin which the insurgents see coming from a 100Km distance.

It seems there is more than enough money. But I am still wondering, if it is really meant for buying votes (Abhisit sponsoring the army, hoteliers and other failing businesses and Yingluck farmers) what about the consumers that are far greater in number. Do they like it when their food prices go up dramatically? Come on there must be better ways to give farmers a better chance on a good income. Give them each 100K a year for the next 3 years and send them for that amount to school during the dry and hot season. Teach them to grow other crops and pay for the transition. Thailand seem to be stuck in the early 1900's. Too small farms, too much manual labor, too little help from agricultural universities without connections to the evil Monsanto's of this world. Learn farmers to innovate and use the 10 million USD for that purpose. It will work out money well spent.